


As Years Pass

by topmagtiger



Category: Bleach
Genre: Bisexual Character, Character Development, During Canon, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gay Jushiro Agenda, Homosexuality, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Original Character(s), Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Post-Turn Back the Pendulum Arc, Pre-Canon, Pre-Turn Back the Pendulum Arc, Relationship(s), Romance, Shinigami/Zanpakutou Bond, Shinou Shinigami Academy, Strong Female Characters, Turn Back the Pendulum Arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 79,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23930014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topmagtiger/pseuds/topmagtiger
Summary: Since their time in the Soul Reaper Academy, Shunsui and Shuriken have been close. Although certain parts of their personality clash at times, there's no one that understands the two of them more than each other; that is, of course, except for the final member of their trio, Jushiro. There's always been a bond between Shunsui and Shuriken though, one that differs from the love they share for their sickly friend.Although, despite the years that pass, the two never seem to hit it off in the way that all of their friends hope for. Something always comes in the way of Shunsui and Shuriken confessing their feelings and admitting their undying love for one another.But, of course, their biggest obstacles in love are themselves.[SHUNSUI KYORAKU X OC]
Relationships: Kyouraku Shunsui & Original Character & Ukitake Juushirou, Kyouraku Shunsui & Ukitake Juushirou, Kyouraku Shunsui & Yadoumaru Lisa, Kyouraku Shunsui/Original Character(s), Kyouraku Shunsui/Original Female Character(s), Shihouin Yoruichi & Original Female Character(s), Shihouin Yoruichi & Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi/Sui-Feng | Soifon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. 'soulmate'

**Author's Note:**

> This story is currently on-going, and it is also published on my Wattpad! So, if you see - or have seen - it there, please know that I am indeed the same person.

The Natazaki were a family once well-known throughout the Soul Society for their bravery and their strength. Natazaki Tahara, a kind, chivalrous man, led the group; he had fought his younger brother, Mizuno, for control after the passing of their father. Tahara had won, though despite Mizuno's pleas for it to be a fight to the death, Tahara refused. He had no desire to take his brother's life, not when he still had so much to offer to the world.

Of course, Tahara did not know at the time how big of a mistake that he had made by allowing his younger sibling to live. On that day, Mizuno had been humiliated and disgraced by Tahara; at least, that was how Mizuno saw it. Not only had Tahara mocked him by defeating him, he'd allowed him to _live_ after that. Mizuno never forgave Tahara, and from that day onward he trained every single day in order to become stronger than Tahara.

As Mizuno grew stronger, Tahara decided to settle down. Throughout his work in Yamamoto's Gotei 13, Tahara had met a peaceful woman by the name of Kaita. Before long, the two of them had wed and created a beautiful daughter that they named Shuriken. She had the same dark blue hair as her father, but her baby-blue eyes looked exactly like her mother's. Right off the bat, Shuriken became the center of both of her parent's worlds.

Shuriken grew into a young child and the more time passed, the more she began to resemble her father. Her appetite was huge, signaling that she had a wonderful supply of spiritual pressure growing inside of her. Whenever it came to chores around the house, she was quick to jump in and help. Most importantly, she had that same goddamned Natazaki pride that Tahara possessed; to Mizuno, Shuriken was a miniature Tahara.

Eventually, Tahara and Kaita had two more children, twins that they named Hirana and Mizu, a girl and a boy respectively. Mizu, of course, was named after his uncle; how were Tahara and Kaita to know that would only fuel the fire of hatred that Mizuno held within his heart?

The day that Mizuno made his move, both Shuriken and Tahara had been out of the home. Shuriken had been at her orientation for the Soul Reaper academy while Tahara had been out on a mission. Mizuno took the opportunity to slaughter poor Kaita and her twins, who were little more than toddlers. He hung their bodies right behind the front door, so that whenever Shuriken slid it open, they were the first things she saw.

The young girl couldn't even scream, even though her jaw seemed to drop to the ground. Her wide eyes were unable to comprehend the scene in front of her, although it was obvious. It was only when her knees crumbled beneath her and she collapsed onto the hard, unforgiving ground that a terrified whimper managed to escape her now dry lips.

Mizuno wasted no time in appearing beside of his niece, staring down at her with the utmost disgust. His formal clothing was soaked in the blood of his family, as were his cheeks. His cold eyes showed not the least bit of remorse as he watched the realization surge through Shuriken.

She wanted to run; he could see that easily. Everything in her told her to flee as quickly as she could, to her father or to maybe even that Yamamoto guy, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Shuriken had the mobility of a rock in that moment.

Neither Shuriken nor Mizuno spoke; they merely locked eyes in an exchange that the former would have nightmares of for the remainder of her life. Words were only spoken when Tahara finally arrived home, roughly half an hour after Shuriken.

He told her to escape, to run away just as she had wanted to. It took the frantic screams of her father to get Shuriken's ass in gear, and as she fled, tears streaming from her eyes, she could hear her father releasing his zanpakuto.

She ran as long as she could, all the way until she tripped over a rock and flung herself towards the entrance of a small, nearby village on the outskirts of the Seriete. Shuriken managed to, quietly and quickly, describe her situation to the woman that first saw her before the stress overcame her and she lost consciousness.

When Shuriken awoke, she had been returned to her room in the Natazaki household. She sat up in bed and released a sigh of relief as she realized that everything had been little more than a horrible dream. After regaining her composure, Shuriken exited her room with a big grin before stopping dead in her tracks as she was met by a silver-haired young man, someone she'd never seen before. His eyes were white, but they portrayed immense amounts of emotion. Just by looking up at him, Shuriken knew that it, in fact, had _not_ been a dream.

The man introduced himself as Lieutenant Sasakibe Chojiro of Squad One, a colleague of her father's. Sasakibe explained to Shuriken what had happened and that, after an extensive search, neither her father nor her uncle had been found. He told the terrified young girl that the search would continue for Tahara and Mizuno, but that he couldn't make any promises that either would be located.

She cried. She cried and she clung to the lieutenant as if he was all she had left. Sasakibe comforted Shuriken to the best of his abilities, but truthfully, he couldn't do more than just pat her back as she sobbed.

After she had settled down enough, Sasakibe helped Shuriken to gather all of her belongings. Together, once she finished, they made their way to the Soul Reaper Academy barracks. Classes weren't scheduled to begin for another two weeks, but Yamamoto had made it possible for Shuriken to move in immediately. She was truly grateful for this decision, because the last thing she wanted to do was spend another night at home.

Before Sasakibe departed, he left Shuriken with the reassuring knowledge that the tragedy that had occurred to the Natazaki would not be spread throughout the Seriete. A complete coverup had been done on the subject, as to make life easier for _her_. The way that he briefly explained it told Shuriken that it would all but completely erase the Natazaki from history; even all of the heroic exploits of her father, Tahara.

As she unpacked in her small, single-bed room in the academy, Shuriken agreed with what the lieutenant had told her. It would be better for her to be the sole Natazaki than to have her family constantly brought back into the public eye. Perhaps then, they would be able to find at least some comfort in death.

\- - -

Shunsui had seen her first in his kendo class, and right off the bat, he had been in awe of the navy-blue beauty. He couldn't help but notice, though, that she wasn't sharing the typical enthusiasm of first-day students. While everyone around the girl seemed to be beaming with excitement, it looked as though she struggled to keep her focus on the tasks in front of her.

Of course, he could relate to some degree. He wouldn't have even noticed her at first had _he_ been focusing on their class work, but unlike Shunsui, who wasn't focusing due to a lack of interest, she seemed to be at least trying.

Their first class came and went, and in the next class, he found himself seated next to his beloved roommate, a white-haired boy with green eyes that just _radiated_ sincerity. Shunsui had learned on their first night together that Jushiro was a sick fellow, but that didn't bother Shunsui at all. He actually enjoyed being able to help his new friend - it made Shunsui feel as if he had a purpose in life, something far more important than meeting the goals that his parents had put in place for him.

Frankly, the only reason that Shunsui didn't want to _completely_ fail out of the academy was because he never wanted to have to return home. No one gave a shit about him there, so why would he? The only one of them that even somewhat cared for him was his older brother, but he'd left home long ago. If Shunsui never saw his parents again, it'd probably be too soon for him.

\- - -

Lunch time came and Shunsui walked outside to the lovely garden that the students had to eat in with Jushiro trailing closely behind him. Shunsui had noticed that most times, Jushiro liked to cling to his side; Shunsui knew it was mainly due to the fact that Jushiro had yet to make any other friends in the academy, which was fine. Shunsui had already acquainted himself with many of the females that he'd come in contact with, but Jushiro wasn't as much of a ladies man as he was.

That, Shunsui planned on changing. He'd find some sweet little gal to hook Jushiro up with before they graduated, he just knew it.

The duo found a nice place to sit underneath a huge Sakura tree near the front of the field. It would later become their usual lunch spot, as it was a lovely sight and it was easy for Jushiro to get to. It also kept him out of the sun and the heat, which was always a bonus.

"Hey, pretty lady!" Shunsui whistled as one of their female classmates passed by, "Why don't you come sit with us?"

"As if, pervert," The girl scoffed as she began walking towards her group of friends. Shunsui released a heavy sigh as he draped an arm around Jushiro's shoulder. The smaller male flinched just slightly, as he wasn't accustomed to Shunsui's eccentric ways yet.

"Can you believe this, Jushiro?" Shunsui wore a pout on his lips, "All of these girls are so hot but they _all_ want to play hard-to-get! I love the chase as much as any other handsome young lad, but I _do_ wish that at least one of them would spare me more than a passing glance."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find the woman of your dreams here somewhere," Jushiro chuckled softly. To Jushiro, Shunsui was an endless source of entertainment. "You've just got to change your ways of approaching them."

"What do you mean?" Shunsui asked as he looked around, trying to find another gem to set his sights on. "I'm _irresistible_ , Jushiro."

"You're definitely something, all right," Jushiro whispered playfully as he opened up his lunch. Shunsui let out a dramatic whine as he leaned back against the Sakura tree.

"I can still hear you, you know," Shunsui made Jushiro laugh once again. Jushiro knew he had to be careful though, as to not laugh _too_ hard and stir up his illness.

The two friends ate and chatted throughout their lunch period, and based on the way that they interacted with one another, you could have thought that they'd known each other their entire lives. Shunsui and Jushiro just clicked in a way that neither of them had experienced before - they were different, but they mixed well together.

As the two stood to return to class, Shunsui once more spotted the blue haired female from his kendo class. He'd been unable to truly take in her appearance from his spot in the back of the room earlier, but now, as he watched her pass by without so much as a gaze in his direction, Shunsui could barely contain himself.

"I've found her, Jushiro!" Shunsui exclaimed excitedly as he pointed towards the girl. "The girl of my dreams."

"Ah, right," Jushrio rolled his eyes, although he wore a smile on his lips. "I'm sure that's her. She'll be the one that can't turn you down right off the bat."

"Exactly," Shunsui agreed while nodding his head. "She won't be able to tell me to screw off because I'm going to have the most innocent looking guy ever right beside of me."

"Good one, Shunsui," Jushiro laughed, as he hadn't quite understood that Shunsui had been referring to _him_. "But where are you-"

Before Jushiro could even finish his though, Shunsui had once more wrapped his arm around the smaller male's shoulders, although this time it was to lead them towards Shunsui's designated 'soulmate.' Jushiro tried to squirm out of his friend's hold, but Shunsui was too persistent; it was useless to struggle.

"Pretty baby with the blue hair!" Shunsui called out as he and Jushiro made their way towards the girl. Jushiro inwardly cringed at Shunsui's choice of words; did he always have to say something like that to catch women's ears? "Hello!" When she didn't stop walking, Shunsui grunted and with his arm still around Jushiro, he lunged forward and grabbed her by the hand.

For a quick moment, the two stared directly into each other's eyes. Whereas Shunsui was positive that he had just fallen even _more_ in love with this stranger, she was quite apparently confused. After standing awkwardly with one another, including Jushiro who was stuck at an awkward angle, Shuriken yanked her hand away and all three of them stood up straight.

It was then that Shunsui noticed the sadness that seemed to be caked onto this shorter girl's face. Beneath the uncertainty, he could see that she was struggling; the extent of her pain was uncertain to him, but regardless, Shunsui knew that he needed to cheer this babe up! She was far too beautiful to be so upset.

"What's your name, doll?" Shunsui asked with the most charming smile that he could manage. "My name is Kyoraku Shunsui, and this fine gent beside of me is Ukitake Jushiro."

Jushiro waved nervously at the girl as she looked his way before glaring at Shunsui as he once more became the center of her attention. He wished that Shunsui wouldn't use him as a pawn in his little sex-capades.

"Uh, hey," She was so cute! "Natazaki," She hesitated for a moment, which Shunsui thought was strange, although he didn't question it, "Uh, Natazaki Shuriken."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful gal! I like it," Shunsui's enthusiasm didn't phase Shuriken.

"I don't know about that," She raised a curious brow as she looked between the two males. "Are you guys just starting school today?"

"Is it that obvious?" Jushiro laughed awkwardly as he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. "We're new students here."

"Me too," Shuriken admitted as she stared down at her schedule absentmindedly. "What class are you guys off to?"

"Kido," Jushiro said. "What about you?"

"Same thing, actually," Shuriken raised her head as she gave just the _slightest_ smile to Jushiro.

Shunsui couldn't believe it! Jushiro had _finally_ \- it had been only a day, relax, Shunsui - come out of his shell, and it was all because of Shuriken! This girl was something else, huh?

"Why don't you walk with us?" Shunsui offered. He wanted to impress Shuriken more than Jushiro had; on top of that, he wanted to do anything that he could to try and cheer her up a little bit more. "I promise, we're not the worst company you could keep around here."

Shuriken took a moment to reply. She flickered her gaze between the two short-haired males before eventually nodding and turning to Shunsui.

"I guess I'll have to see about that, huh?" Shuriken teased him. For just a moment, he could see a little bit of life behind her sad blue eyes.

Shunsui really, _truly_ liked this girl, and he believed that he could help her regain her happiness, even if it was just for a little bit. Besides, he had already set out on the journey to help widen Jushiro's social circle. Who was to say that he wasn't meant to do something great for Shuriken, too?

Well, something aside from the usual first thoughts that came to his mind when he saw an attractive female such as her. His mind always went to the gutter far too quickly when it came to women.

"I guess so then, huh?" Shunsui grinned at Shuriken before turning to Jushiro. "What time's that class supposed to start, anyway?"

Jushiro glanced quickly over his schedule paper before looking up at a nearby clock. His normally pale face lost any bit of color that it might have had as he exclaimed, "Dammit! We're late!"

"L-Late?" Shuriken hissed under her breath as she began running towards their class. "Shit!"

Before Shunsui could blink, both Jushiro and Shuriken were halfway down the hallway. The tall brunette laughed as he watched them go.

"Ah, you overachievers!" He chuckled as he, rather lazily, followed after the two. Shunsui folded his arms behind his head as he walked, all the while a happy smile spread across his lips.

Perhaps the Soul Reaper Academy wasn't going to be as big of a bore as he had once thought it was? Maybe, just _maybe_ , Shunsui would actually be able to enjoy himself there. As he followed after Jushiro and Shuriken, Shunsui couldn't help but wonder if he'd been right when he said that women couldn't turn him down with Jushiro by his side.

It was a solid assumption, but after seeing the way that Jushiro and Shuriken hit it off, Shunsui wasn't too sure he liked the idea of (potentially) setting Jushiro up with any of the girls that Shunsui himself took an interest in. 

That just wouldn't be fair at all now, would it? Shunsui didn't care at all to help Jushiro find a wonderful woman for himself, but as a general rule-of-thumb, _no one_ got first pick of the ladies other than Kyoraku Shunsui. 

If Jushiro really wanted a girl, well, he'd just have to wait.


	2. 'troublemakers'

When Shuriken had first moved into the Soul Reaper Academy dorms after the unfortunate massacre of her family, the last thing that she had expected was to actually find comfort in some new friends. Up to the point that she met Shunsui and Jushiro, Shuriken had been convinced that no one would want to talk to her; really, she thought it was for the best. Every night the poor girl squirmed in bed, tormented by horrible nightmares of her uncle returning to finish his job and end her life. If she were to make friends, Shuriken believed, they would become easy targets for Mizuno. After all, it did seem as though Mizuno's main purpose for killing their family was to make not only her father suffer, but Shuriken as well. Why else would he have spared her on that dreadful day?

Yet, it seemed that no matter how hard she tried to keep the two chipper males at an arms length, it just wasn't possible. Every single day, Shunsui and Jushiro would pop up and welcome Shuriken into their company. After a while, it became impossible for her to push them away; Shunsui _had_ been right when he said that there were worse people to spend her time with.

The more relaxed that Shuriken became around Shunsui and Jushiro, the more that her old self began to return. She slowly began to regain the upbeat, social personality that she had once been known for. She'd taken more of an interest in her class work as well; that was to say, she enjoyed learning how to fight. When it came to the massive piles of homework that she seemed to be stuck with day in and day out, well... Shuriken didn't much care for that.

"Hey, Ri?" Shunsui whispered to Shuriken as the two sat, side by side, in their kendo class. The nickname was one that he had recently given the girl, his own special twist on the typical 'Shuri' that others called her.

"Hmm?" Shuriken hummed in acknowledgement as she copied down the notes from the board as their teacher spoke.

"Do you remember that girl Jushiro was talking to last week? The one that he ditched lunch with us for?" Shunsui, of course, was referring to one of the fine young ladies that was studying healing techniques to become a member of the Fourth Division. The day in question had been the weekend prior, a day where there were no classes and the students had been able to relax and prepare for the week ahead of them. While Shunsui and Shuriken had enjoyed their lunches in the shade of the gang's favorite Sakura tree, Jushiro had been with this other girl.

"He was sick that day!" Despite the seemingly scolding tone of Shuriken's voice, Shunsui could detect a bit of amusement. She had some sort of idea of where Shunsui was going with this, but she wasn't _entirely_ sure of what he'd come up with.

\- - -

The first time that Jushiro had gotten sick around Shuriken, she had been terrified; absolutely, one- _hundred_ percent frantic. The two had been alone in his and Shunsui's dorm room to do some homework while Shunsui fucked around with his fling of the week. Although Shuriken was grateful for Shunsui toning down his flirting with _her_ since they had become friends, the moment that Jushiro began coughing up blood, she wanted to see the flirty brunette more than ever.

"J-Ju?!" Shuriken had rushed to his side. She placed a gentle hand on his heaving shoulder as he coughed; she was particularly careful with Jushiro, as she was extremely worried that she'd just wind up making things worse on her poor friend.

"I'm-" Jushiro broke into another fit of coughing. The sleeve of his uniform, which he had been using to cover his mouth, had begun to drip with blood. Shuriken's head moved from left to right as she tried to find something - _anything_ \- that she could use to help Jushiro.

At this point, she hadn't even been told that he was sick. Shuriken truly believed that at that _precise_ moment, while Shunsui had left them alone to get some ass, Jushiro was dying.

"I'll, uh- Shit!" Shuriken cursed under her breath as she stood up and rushed to the door. "I'll go get somebody!"

Jushiro wasn't able to even raise his head as Shuriken darted out the door.

She'd made it halfway to the nurse's office when she ran smack into Shunsui.

"Ow," Shunsui whined as he rubbed his lower arm, the precise place that Shuriken's had smacked him on. "Where's the fire?"

"Asshole, Jushiro's dying on me!" Shuriken's eyes were wide and terrified. It was as if one of her worst fears was becoming a reality. "He started coughing and there's blood and-"

"Hey," Shunsui's tone had completely flipped, almost like a light switch. His normal, goofy self had been replaced by a serious side that Shuriken hadn't seen before; had she not been on the verge of a total panic attack, she might have even found it attractive. "You go get the nurse and I'll make sure he's fine, all right?"

Shuriken nodded and took off again, this time with a _tad_ bit more level of a head after Shunsui had shouted after her, "But be more careful this time, please!"

-

The nurse had followed Shuriken to Shunsui and Jushiro's room; or rather, Shuriken followed _her_. Everything from the way that the nurse examined Jushiro's frail form to the way she administered him his medication was like clock-work. Shuriken realized then that this little incident wasn't the first of its kind.

When they had arrived at the room, Jushiro had already been put in bed and his shirt had been removed. The blood that had been drooling from his mouth had been cleaned off and he wore a wet cloth across his forehead; Shunsui sat right beside of his best friend, talking to him as if nothing was wrong.

The nurse quickly finished with Jushiro and sent Shunsui and Shuriken on their way. The two gathered up their homework and scurried off to Shuriken's room to chat, as Shunsui wouldn't return back to his dorm until it was time for bed.

Shuriken dropped her papers onto the floor before plopping down on her bed. She had calmed down considerably after seeing that Jushiro was indeed _okay_ , and that specific day wouldn't be the day of his death. Still, she looked up at Shunsui with furrowed brows.

"What happened back there, Shun? What was that all about?" Shuriken had a bit of an accusatory tone; he'd known _exactly_ how to react in that situation while she had been on the verge of a heart attack. "Why didn't you tell me he was sick?"

Shunsui sighed as he sat down directly across from the navy-haired female. He'd known that this day would come eventually, but he truly hadn't thought that it would be so soon. He and Jushiro both had tried so hard to hide the latter's illness from Shuriken, as they neither one wanted to worry her about it. Although Shuriken had yet to tell her friends about her own personal problems, they were smart enough to realize that she had been through something that caused her great stress.

"Well, to be honest, Ju didn't really want to say anything about it and I thought it was better not to worry you," Shunsui spoke as he tossed the homework to the side. "He's been sick ever since he was little, Shuri. As long as he can remember, from what he told me," A genuine frown came to his lips. "I'm sure you've noticed how I kind of baby him at times; I don't mean to, I just worry about him a lot, you know?"

Indeed, Shuriken had noticed. There had been several times in their newer friendship where Shunsui had shied them away from certain situations or changed their schedule for the day and she'd never quite understood why. The more she thought about it, Shuriken mentally cursed herself; more than once she'd been vocally upset about having to change their plans.

"I've made a complete ass of myself all because I didn't know any better!" Shuriken groaned as she buried her face in her hands. "Shunsui, he probably hates me and he's just too nice to say so."

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop that," Shunsui said as he moved from across the floor to sit beside of Shuriken on her bed. "I don't know the guy much more than you do, but one thing that I _do_ know is that there's no way he'd ever be mad at you because of something silly like that. He's got his limits and he knows that," Shunsui then hesitantly wrapped his arm around Shuriken's shoulders and pulled her closer to his chest. Much to his surprise, she took the opportunity to embrace him fully; he soon noticed that she was actually crying her poor little eyes out.

Shuriken hated breaking down on him like that, but being in his arms _did_ comfort her a bit. Her family's demise had made her weak and in that moment, the realization struck her like a zanpakuto. She knew that she'd have to thicken her skin back up if she were ever going to make it anywhere in the Soul Society, but the stress of the day had just gotten to her. Seeing Jushiro in such a vulnerable state had taken her back, and it had reminded her of just how truly useless she felt.

Much to her surprise though, Shunsui held her the entire time. As Shuriken soaked his uniform with tears, Shunsui just played with her hair and rubbed her back - not in the usual, 'I really want to touch your ass' way, either. He wholeheartedly wanted to take care of Shuriken, just as he took care of Jushiro.

"I'm sorry, I'm a mess," Shuriken muttered as she finally pulled away from Shunsui. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes had become a bit puffy, but she still looked great to Shunsui. "I really didn't mean to do that, I just..."

"You've got your reasons for being the way that you are, and there's no need to apologize for that. I could tell the day we met that you were carrying some sort of baggage with you," Shunsui gave her a smile. "If you ever want to share it with me, that's fine. If you don't, I won't pressure you. I'm here for Jushiro and I'm here for you too, Shuriken."

To say that Shuriken was taken back by his words would've been an understatement. Until that day, Shuriken had only seen the side of Shunsui that he liked for the world to see; the perverted, party-loving slacker. This Shunsui, though, was different. Similar, sure, but _this_ Shunsui thought more with his heart than with his dick.

It was a nice change.

"You're telling me," Shuriken laughed softly as she wiped the tears from off of her cheeks, "You're telling me that there's actually a heart in that big chest of yours?" She teased, "I thought it was as empty as your head."

Shunsui cupped his hands over his heart as he fell back dramatically on her bed, an exasperated sigh leaving his chest as he did so. "It's always the pretty ones that hurt me the most!"

Shuriken rolled her eyes at him, and before long, both she and Shunsui were laughing like there was no tomorrow. Shunsui did his best that night to make sure that Shuriken's worries were the last thing on her mind, something that he succeeded very well in.

In fact, he did _such_ a good job at helping Shuriken relax that she completely forgot about their homework. It didn't cross her mind until the next morning, where she, reasonably, groaned and threw it at the nearest wall.

Not only did she have to apologize to Jushiro for how she'd treated him about his illness - unbeknownst to her, of course - she'd also have to tell him that their work hadn't been finished.

Needless to say, that wasn't quite a good day for Shuriken either.

\- - -

"... and if they can't get out, they'll _have_ to talk to each other, right? That's when Ju can put the moves on her and," Shunsui's voice went from a simple whisper to nearly a shout as he finished with, " _BAM_!"

His plan was to block off the entrance to his and Jushiro's dorm room while both Jushiro and the other girl were in there. Shunsui had come up with a rough idea of telling the gal that Jushiro needed to talk to her about something, while also telling Jushiro that he - Jushiro - had forgotten one of his important pieces of homework back in the dorm.

It was definitely a work-in-progress, but as their teacher stared at both Shunsui and Shuriken with glaring eyes, none of that matter.

"Is there something that the two of you would like to share with the class? Hmm, Mr. Kyoraku? Ms. Natazaki?"

"Uh, no, sir," The two scolded teens spoke in unison. They shared a brief glance before turning their gazes to their notebooks in front of them.

"I suggest you keep it down, then. There are actually _some_ people in here who have hopes of becoming great soul reapers one day," The teacher continued to embarrass the two. "I _especially_ expect better of a Kyoraku. You'd do well not to disgrace your family."

"Yeah, yeah, like they actually give a shit," Shunsui grumbled under his breath as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms behind his head. Shunsui had never told Shuriken about _his_ family situation, but from little moments like that she'd gotten the impression that he didn't think too highly of them.

"If there will be no more interruptions, then we shall resume with our lesson," The teacher spared one last glare at Shunsui and Shuriken before returning to teaching, just as he had wished. While Shuriken actuallydid return her focus to the teacher, Shunsui continued to scatter his thoughts _just_ to piss their teacher off even more.

-

"Okay, but what if this chick isn't even his type?" Shuriken questioned as she and Shunsui walked through the halls of the academy. They were on their way to Shuriken's next class, and although Shunsui _needed_ to be on the opposite side of the school - the side that they had just come from, mind you - he much preferred to spend his time walking Shuriken to her class.

"There's no way she's not," Shunsui shook his head. "She's hot, she's good at medicine and shit, and she's nice. What more does he need?"

"But 'hot' to you isn't guaranteed to be the same as 'hot' to Jushiro," Shuriken countered. "I mean I'm not into girls but this one _is_ hot, but Jushiro has his own tastes in ladies I'm sure."

"Ah, you really shouldn't put such thoughts in my head, Ri," Shunsui hummed. "It's rude to get a man's hopes up like that."

Shuriken stopped in her tracks and looked at Shunsui with a raised eyebrow. "What are you even-"

"You know very well that you've put the thought of you hooking up with this girl in my mind, and although the image is very lovely, I'd much rather-"

_Smack!_

Shunsui's perverted thoughts were interrupted by the rough hit of the back of Shuriken's hand on his chest. The action physically pained her more than him - his chest _was_ as tough and toned as it appeared - but it was enough to shut him up and get his mind back on the right track.

"I guess the simple answer to Ju not liking _this_ girl is to keep trying until we find one that he falls madly in love with," Shunsui scratched his chin as he spoke. "Someone that he can settle down with and have hot, passionate sex with every night in a home filled with children he created. That's his dream in life, right?"

He looked down at the smaller female for confirmation, as he really wasn't all that sure exactly _what_ Jushiro wanted out of life; she initially rolled her eyes, but she then shrugged. Based just on what Shunsui knew about their white-haired pal, though, he truly thought it was something similar to what he'd laid out.

Perhaps it wouldn't include sex _every_ night, as that would surely be bad for Jushiro's health. Everything else seemed about right.

"We've got to start somewhere," Shuriken agreed after a moment. If they were going to play matchmaker for Jushiro, then they at least had to get some sort of idea of what he liked in women.

"Absolutely," Shunsui nodded before turning to Shuriken with a mischievous smile. "And once we get Ju married off, we can find you a nice young man to spend your life with!"

Although Shunsui was merely teasing Shuriken for the sole reason of seeing her reaction, he couldn't help the twinge of jealousy that surged through him at the thought of Shuriken settling down with another man. She'd made it clear many times that she wasn't interested in _him_ , though it wasn't as though he had ever genuinely pursued her; the possibility of him fucking something up and her hating him for it kept him at bay.

Ah, yes, Shuriken was indeed the gal that continued to stick out in Shunsui's mind. Something about her just brought him joy in a way that no other girl ever had; he cared for her, deeply, but Shunsui had no interest in pursuing his little crush.

"I don't really see a point in that, but whenever I'm in the market for a man you'll be the first to know," Shuriken patted Shunsui's upper arm. "Talk to me about it whenever I make lieutenant or something."

Shunsui pouted, not only to continue to tease Shuriken for her lack of interest in a social life but because they had reached her classroom. "You know, there's more to life than just practicing your skills with a zanpakuto," He sighed dramatically. "For example, there are _other_ types of swords you can become acquainted with, like-"

"I'll see you after class, pervert," Shuriken winked at Shunsui before scurrying into the classroom. Shunsui watched her go before, reluctantly, he began making his way back to the other side of the school.

-

"Hey Ju, do you have those notes you took in kido last week? I'm still struggling to manifest my spiritual energy into anything more than just a tiny ball without it blowing up in my face."

Two days had passed since Shuriken and Shunsui had first discussed the plan of matchmaking Jushiro and the medical student. Since then, they had finalized their idea, and now, they were putting it in action.

Shunsui had gone to recruit the girl while Shuriken spoke to Jushiro. The night before, Shunsui had taken the aforementioned notes from Jushiro's notebooks and hidden it in one of his own. He and Shuriken had decided on having her ask Jushiro for help with kido, as it was admittedly her worst subject. On top of that, it wasn't uncommon for Shuriken to ask Jushiro if she could borrow his notes.

After all, he was most certainly the best student out of the three of them, and his notes were always intricate and easy to read. He was always a huge help to Shuriken.

"Of course, Shuri!" Jushiro gave Shuriken a bright smile before he began searching through his folder. "I-I'm sorry, I don't..." He trailed off as his dark eyebrows furrowed together. "It should be right here, but I'm not seeing it."

"It's fine, don't worry about it!" Shuriken waved dismissively. She did feel bad for manipulating Jushiro in such a way, but she believed that it would be for the greater good. After all, this wasn't the first of Shunsui's hair-brained schemes that she'd been roped into, and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. "I'll get it eventually."

"I'll be right back," Jushiro frowned at his notebook before looking up at Shuriken. When she opened her mouth to protest, Jushiro raised a hand to silence her. "I insist, Shuri. I'll just be a moment."

She waited until Jushiro was out of sight before she snuck off to find Shunsui, who she assumed would be on his way to his dorm with Jushiro's love interest. As she walked though, Shuriken silently prayed that Jushiro actually _would_ help her with manifesting her spiritual pressure when all was said and done.

Yeah, she really _was_ that bad.

-

As Shunsui, Shuriken, and Jushiro all sat in silence on the floor of the former's dorm room, an awkward silence filled the room. Jushiro's head rested against the wall by his bed as his green eyes stared mindlessly at the ceiling above them. On the other side of the room, Shunsui and Shuriken sat next to each other with their gazes locked on their laps. The two resembled dogs that had been scolded and now sat with their tails between their legs.

Granted, that wasn't too far from the truth. They'd kept Jushiro and the poor girl locked in that very room for nearly three and a half hours before Jushiro had made them break. The girl had fled in such a hurry that Shunsui and Shuriken doubted even the fastest captain-level soul reaper could have caught her; reversely, Jushiro sat in the same position he was in now.

He hadn't looked at Shunsui or Shuriken since they had entered the room, and he definitely hadn't talked to them. Jushiro merely sat their in silence, which only made things infinitely worse for his two friends. Despite the kindness that radiated deep within Jushiro's very being, he didn't mind making his closest companions sweat like they had made him.

It was a form of payback, payback that Jushiro was using to take his mind off of a more pressing matter that was at hand. Something he wasn't quite sure of _how_ to approach with Shunsui and Shuriken, if he even wanted to do such a thing.

"How long is he going to keep us waiting?" Shunsui whispered to Shuriken. "It's been..." He trailed off as he looked at the clock beside of Jushiro's bed. "It's been at least half an hour."

"I don't know," Shuriken frowned as she glanced over at Shunsui, who wore a similar expression. "Surely he's not going to make us wait as long as we made him?"

"I hope not," Shunsui sighed. "Sitting like that can't be good for his neck."

And so, the friends sat in silence again. Shuriken absentmindedly traced the hems of her uniform while Shunsui took the time to analyze every inch of the room that he could possibly see. Had that stain always been on the wall beside of his bed, or had that been his fault? He'd never noticed that the bedding on Jushiro's side seemed to be a shade darker than his, but now that he _had_ noticed it, it bothered him.

"Ju, we're sorry. Really, we are. All we wanted to do was-" Shunsui had begun to plead but Jushiro cut him off before he could finish.

"There's no need, Shunsui," Both Shuriken and Shunsui turned to face Jushiro as he spoke. The white-haired boy stared back at them; instead of the anger that they had partially - this _was_ Jushiro, after all - expected to see, they were instead met with a look of uncertainty upon his frail, handsome face. "I understand why you both did what you did, and while I _do_ appreciate the thought, there are many reasons that this would have never worked out."

"Hey, you never know unless you try, right?" Shunsui chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, if she's not the type of chick you like, that's fine. We can always find another-"

"Shunsui," Jushiro's gaze had turned to the floor in front of him. He wanted so _badly_ to speak up and share with his friends the one secret that had haunted him since childhood; sure, Jushiro had only known these two for a couple of months, but he trusted them wholeheartedly. "Shunsui, that's not what I meant."

"Ju, you don't owe us any explanations," Shuriken shook her head. She could tell that he had something on his mind, something that caused him great distress. She wouldn't want anyone to force her into spilling all of her painful memories, so the last thing she wanted was to make Jushiro feel as though he _had_ to speak up on whatever was troubling him. "You don't want us troublemakers interfering in your love life. That's totally fine!"

She spoke with such sincerity that Jushiro couldn't help but crack a small smile. Shuriken was incredibly trustworthy and Jushiro knew that, he knew that the girl sympathized with him at least a little bit. Jushiro appreciated her greatly, and that was part of the reason that he knew he _had_ to share this with her and Shunsui.

"I've got something that I'd like to share with the two of you, but the only thing that I ask of you is that it doesn't leave this room and it doesn't go any further than the three of us. Okay?" Jushiro's voice quivered just a tad bit as he spoke, but he stared at Shunsui and Shuriken with confident eyes.

"Ju," Shunsui said, "Please don't feel obligated to tell us anything. Like Ri said, you don't owe us shit."

"I know as much," Jushiro chuckled softly. "But I _want_ to share this with the two of you, as long as you agree to my terms."

Shuriken and Shunsui looked at each other in silence for a moment before nodding at Jushiro. They were both nervous as to what Jushiro had to say, and if they were to be honest, neither of them had been able to guess what Jushiro's 'secret' was. They had both expected him to announce his impending death due to his condition; what Jushiro actually told them lifted a weight off of both of their shoulders.

"Shunsui, Shuriken," Jushiro took a deep breath and released it before he announced, "It is not women that I am attracted to, but men."

Once more, silence filled the dorm room. When neither Shunsui nor Shuriken immediately spoke, Jushiro's head had lowered and he brought his knees up to his chest. He'd never told anyone about his homosexuality before, and he believed that his friends were being quiet because they were trying to figure out just _how_ they wanted to tell him to go screw himself. All of the faith that he'd had in Shunsui and Shuriken had momentarily vanished.

"That's it?" Shuriken was the first to speak.

"You mean you're not dying on us?" Shunsui chimed in after her.

"I, uh- What?" Jushiro looked up at the two with a puzzled expression. "You're both okay with... with me being how I am?"

"Why the hell would we have a problem with it?" Shuriken gave the timid male a bright smile. "I like guys too, Jushiro. That's just something else we have in common!"

"I just wish you'd told us this before we scared that poor girl off earlier," Shunsui whined. "I could've gone after her myself if I'd known you liked dick instead."

"Shunsui!" Jushiro's face flushed as he picked up one of the pillows from his bed and chucked it at his roommate. Shunsui laughed as the pillow smacked him on the head.

"I was with Shunsui though," Shuriken admitted, "with what he thought you were going to say. I don't care who you want to sleep with as long as you're still alive and here with us."

"Why do you both insist on making everything about sex?" Jushiro once more hid his face, but this time it wasn't out of fear of rejection by the two people he cared most about. Instead, he was completely embarrassed by them! "Why can't I just wish for a loving partner who will support me and keep me warm at night? Someone who would be a great father for the children I wish to have later on, when I'm older?"

"Ah-hah!" Shunsui slapped his own leg as he pointed enthusiastically at Jushiro. "I told you that was what he wanted out of life!"

"I never disagreed with you," Shuriken nudged Shunsui with her elbow. "It's the most Jushiro thing that's ever been said."

"Right?" Shunsui grinned. "I think it's actually kind of cute that he wants someone to keep him warm. Personally, I'd love to hold to someone all night long; that's just a cute image, isn't it?"

Shuriken silently mouthed a countdown from three to zero, which ended perfectly as Shunsui added, "Of course, it'd be even better if it was after a long, hot night of making love. What more could a man ask for?"

"What about you, Shuri?" Jushiro interjected himself back into the conversation, to try and change things away from the horny brunette. "What do you want for your future?"

Shuriken had to think about her response, because she hadn't put much thought into life after the academy. Of course, to think of her future was to put faith in her uncle _not_ returning to ruin everything, which was a wonderful thought but one Shuriken hadn't really considered much. But, for the sake of conversation - and due mainly to the fact that Jushiro had been so personal with them - Shuriken constructed an answer.

"I want to kick some ass in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I don't know if I really want to deal with the responsibility of being a captain, but I'm shooting for lieutenant!" Shuriken told them. "I, uh, I don't really know about anything other than that. I guess it'd be nice to settle down with a guy someday, but it's not really a priority of mine, you know? I'd rather be a strong soul reaper than a wife."

Shunsui pushed his lips out in disapproval. "Lame!" He placed a hand on Shuriken's shoulder and shook her lightly from side to side. "I don't know what we're going to do with you if you don't get your head out of the office. We're not even through with our first year and you're already wanting to saddle yourself with soul reaper duties! Where's the fun in that?"

"I've got to admit, he does have something of a point, Shuri," Jushiro's words made Shuriken frown. "While it's certainly admirable to have such aspirations in your field of work, you mustn't forget to make time for yourself as well. You have to make time to relax."

"That's what I've got you guys for!" Shuriken joked. "Right?!"

"... That's kind of sad," Jushiro looked to Shunsui with a frown.

"I agree. Little Ri should have higher hopes for herself than to be stuck with us for the rest of her life," Shunsui nodded.

"Wouldn't it be funny if _I_ were the one to find _her_ a man?" Jushiro spoke playfully.

"I don't think that you'd be able to find a better plot-twist anywhere!" Shunsui folded over in laughter.

As the two continued their light-hearted jokes at her expense, Shuriken looked between the two males with amusement. Even if it had resulted from one of the ridiculous pranks that she and Shunsui pulled, Shuriken was grateful that Jushiro had trusted her enough to share such an intimate detail about himself with her. It was more than she'd been able to do, as the mere thought of her own personal demons reduced her to a small, fragile child.

Even if Jushiro didn't want to broadcast his preference, at least he had accepted it enough to talk about it amongst the comfort of his closest friends. At the very least, that was important.

The most important part of it all was that, as Jushiro's reveal had proven, there wasn't any sort of news that could tear the trio apart. In the short amount of time that they had known one another, they'd developed a bond that was impossible to completely sever; as they would learn over the following years, there would be times that relations between them would become strained, but when all was said and done, no one had their backs more than each other.

And that kind of bond, the strong, durable kind, was irreplaceable.


	3. 'just two friends'

Snow had begun to fall outside of the Soul Reaper Academy as Shuriken stood in Shunsui and Jushiro's dorm room. The two males were packing their bags for the winter break, which would carry on into the new year. It wasn't often that the academy gave its students time to truly rest and relax, but the time did come every now and then. This break would be the first for Shuriken and her friends since they had begun their training.

Of course, this also meant that it would be the first time since classes began that Shuriken would be truly alone. Only a limited number of faculty would remain on campus over the break, as well as only a few students. Shuriken, naturally, was one of the students that would remain at school; she had no interest in returning to the empty Natazaki home, assuming that it even still stood. The only person that she could even think of to talk to about such a thing would be Lieutenant Sasakibe, but, not only did Shuriken have no way of contacting him, she had no interest in doing so.

Until she graduated, the Soul Reaper Academy dorms would be Shuriken's home.

"Are you sure that you wouldn't like to go with one of us, Shuri?" Jushiro asked as he finished packing his last bag. "I'm positive that my younger siblings would love you. I don't doubt that mother and father would be fond of you as well."

Neither Shunsui nor Jushiro knew exactly why Shuriken wouldn't be leaving for the break, but they had both taken her answer of, 'I don't really have anyone waiting for me back home' without question. Maybe she had a bad relationship with her family, like Shunsui did? Or perhaps some sort of conflict between them had arisen before she'd left for the academy?

The possibility that Shuriken's family didn't exist anymore had crossed both Shunsui and Jushiro's minds, but they had agreed to never ask her about it. From the way she had spoken about not having anyone waiting for her, they had realized that it was her family that was the burden that weighed so heavily on her shoulders. The last thing that either of the males wanted to do was make that subject worse on Shuriken.

"Hey now, we don't want your folks getting the idea that the two of you are together," Shunsui's voice was playful as he spoke. "Knowing your luck they'd be planning a wedding before either of you could say 'no.'"

Although Jushiro didn't want to admit it, he knew that Shunsui was probably right. Jushiro loved his family more than anything else, but he had to admit that they could be a bit overbearing at times.

"You're probably right about that," Jushiro muttered. He then looked over to Shuriken with a sympathetic smile. "You'd probably have more luck with the Kyorakus."

"Eh, I wouldn't necessarily say that," Shunsui shook his head. "My family's no walk in the park. In fact, I really don't want to go back for the break, but I don't have much of a choice in the matter."

Shunsui's typical care-free expression had been replaced by a disgusted scowl. It seemed as though the mere mention of his family could flip his mood entirely.

"Ditch them for Jushiro's family," Shuriken suggested. "It'd probably be a lot more fun that way."

"Ah, but then they might think that we're together," Shunsui objected, pointing between Jushiro and himself.

"I'm sure they know that I have better taste than that," Jushiro's blunt, teasing response made Shunsui whine. "Besides Shunsui, you're not even my type."

Of course, the Ukitake family knew nothing about Jushiro's homosexuality, and the odds of it even having crossed any of their minds was slim to none.

"Ouch," Shunsui whined.

Shuriken reached towards the tall brunette and placed a comforting hand on his back. "If it makes you feel any better, you're not my type either."

Before Jushiro and Shuriken could blink, Shunsui had fallen dramatically on the floor. He lied facedown with his arms and legs sprawled out at the sides.

"Don't mind me!" Shunsui gave an over-exaggerated sigh. "I'm just lying in the pits of my own despair!"

"So anyway, I hope you have lots of fun with your family, Ju!" The other two students resumed talking as if Shunsui wasn't even in the room. Jushiro smiled brightly back at the girl.

"Thank you, Shuri. I hope that you're not too lonely over the break. If you need me though, feel free to have one of the teachers contact my parents, all right? I couldn't bare the thought of you driving yourself crazy here."

"Ah, I'll be fine. There's no need to worry about me! I'll be able to kick it with a nice bowl of soup every night while enjoying some peace and quiet. What more could a girl want?"

Shuriken and Jushiro continued to chat with one another as Shunsui stayed strong on the ground. He'd made the choice to be ridiculously dramatic, and he couldn't go back on that. In fact, Shunsui remained on the ground until his best friends began to leave the room without him, so that Jushiro could go meet his family.

"H-Hey!" Shunsui shouted as he rushed to his feet. "Don't just leave me here!"

\- - -

Night had fallen on the same day that Shunsui and Jushiro had left to visit their families. Shuriken had told them both 'good-bye' and watched as Jushiro left with his parents and Shunsui went to walk home. Shuriken had found it shitty that the Kyoraku household hadn't even sent someone to pick up their youngest son from school, but who was she to judge a - albeit lesser - noble family?

Once both of the males had left, Shuriken had returned to her dorm room. She sat on her floor with notes scattered all around her; yes, on the first day of her break Shuriken had decided to study. In fact, that was the way that she wanted to spend the entirety of her time off.

You see, despite the hard-work that Shuriken had given since classes began, she'd noticed that she wasn't quite at the same level as Shunsui and Jushiro when it came to every element of combat. Sure, Shunsui slacked off quite regularly and his grades for homework were rather atrocious, but for someone his age he could handle a sword like it wasn't any issue. His ambidexterity surely help that, but the level between him and Shuriken was insane to the young woman.

Shunsui wasn't alone with his natural skill, as Jushiro caught onto everything far more quickly than Shuriken could've ever hoped. It was a large part of the reason that she always went to him for help, even if she herself had a rather decent understanding of the subject at hand. Somehow, Jushiro was just always better than her; he struggled, sure, but it seemed like he never needed any outside help!

To say that Shuriken was jealous of her best friends and their knack for soul reaper combat would be wrong; while she did wish that she had Jushiro's brain for knowledge, Shuriken was more concerned about the fact that they seemed to be so far ahead of her.

She was afraid that she would lose them if she didn't catch up, if she didn't push herself to reach the level that they were already on. On top of that, the same Natazaki pride that her uncle loathed her for drove Shuriken to reach for new heights. She wanted to make her family proud, even if they weren't there to see her.

"Dammit!" Shuriken cursed as she fell down onto one knee. Her left hand still gripped tightly onto the wooden sword that she had been practicing with while the right one rested on the cold, hard ground beneath her. The girl's entire body ached from the seven straight hours of sword training that she had put herself through, but she had no intention of giving up anytime soon.

Both of her hands had begun to blister and her shoulders burned from the repeated swings of her sword, yet she still kept the same determined gleam in her pretty blue eyes. She had already begun to feel progress during her short training session, and if she kept up this sort of regime during her break she knew that her results would be phenomenal!

That was, of course, assuming that she didn't overwork herself into a coma.

Shuriken took a moment to relax as she kneeled on the ground, allowing her eyes to close briefly. Her breathing, which had been ragged before she had collapsed, took a chance to level itself back out. Shuriken had wondered if that was similar to how Jushiro felt every day of his life, as if his lungs were working against him. If so, it only made her admire her friend more for being able to push through it as well as he did.

"All right, Natazaki," Shuriken muttered to herself as she stood back up on her somewhat shaky knees. "Let's try this agai-!"

Although Shuriken had raised her sword back to swing once again, something caught it mid-air and stopped her.

"I've only been gone for a few hours and you're already working yourself to death," Shunsui's pouty voice made Shuriken freeze in her tracks. "Ri, baby, you've got to stop."

For a moment, she didn't speak, she merely stared ahead at the training dummy that she had been so furiously smacking for hours. The amount of damage that she had been able to do to it had been impressive, sure, but she'd pushed herself far past her limits for the day.

"I didn't think you'd be back until the break ended," Shuriken released a tired laugh as a smile came to her lips. With the utmost ease, Shunsui pulled the sword from her grasp and dropped it on the ground beside of them.

"I didn't even want to leave in the first place, what're you talking about?" Shunsui sighed. His hands moved to her shoulders, resting gently upon them. Shuriken was absolutely drained, and seeing her in such a state pained Shunsui. "I only agreed to go in the first place to appease Jushiro, but the moment I walked through the door I knew I'd made a huge mistake," Shunsui hesitated for a second before adding, "I don't know why I got so surprised when they started their usual shit, but I did. I guess I'd thought that just for once, they'd get their heads out of their asses and appreciate seeing me."

"Shunsui," Shuriken frowned as she turned around to face him. For the first time in their friendship, she saw pain on his normally cheerful mug. "I'm so-"

"Then I get back here, and you're working yourself to the bone!" Shunsui laughed, but it wasn't his typical, joyous laugh; he was tired. "It's too much for my fragile heart to bear."

"I'm okay," Shuriken shook her head. Her eyebrows had furrowed as she stared up at him. "I really am."

"You can barely stand right now!" Shunsui protested. "Had you even noticed that your hands are bleeding from holding your sword so tightly?" In fact, she hadn't; Shuriken's gaze quickly dropped from Shunsui to her rental weapon on the ground. It was only then that she saw that the hilt had turned from brown to red. "Or that you're all scuffed up from what I'm assuming was you running around to practice evasion?"

She winced at his words, because somehow, just as always, he had read her like a book. It didn't matter what she did or how hard she tried to hide simple things like that from him, Shunsui always found a way to see past her disguises.

"You're not a Soul Reaper yet, Shuriken. You haven't got to push yourself so hard."

Most importantly, Shunsui was right; Shuriken knew he was.

"That's easy to say whenever you're leaps and bounds ahead of the competition as it is," Shuriken's voice was calm as she spoke, but within it Shunsui could detect both her drive to succeed as well as a hint of fear. "You and Jushiro are dripping with natural talent."

"You can't compare yourself to us, Ri," Shunsui frowned. "You're ridiculously talented, even if you're too blind to see it."

The girl's shoulders slumped and she raised one of her hands up to her face, so that she could take a moment to examine her injuries. On top of the blisters that were peppered around Shuriken's palm, there were also various scrapes and splinters tearing at her skin.

"Lets just go inside for now, hmm?" Shuriken decided. When she looked back up at Shunsui, their eyes connected in a silent exchange, a non-verbal agreement to continue the conversation at a later time.

Shunsui led Shuriken back into the dorms with an arm around her shoulders to help keep her steady. They returned to Shuriken's room where Shunsui immediately noticed all of the papers that she still had scattered across her floor.

She really planned on doing this for the whole break, huh? He mentally sighed. Does she really think that she's that far behind me and Ju?

Of course, Shuriken actually was quite far beneath Shunsui and Jushiro when it came to her skills. This wasn't due to any fault of her own; in fact, Shuriken had the potential to be an extraordinary Soul Reaper - one of the best that the Soul Society had ever seen! However, Shunsui and Jushiro were in a league of their own. No one, no matter how hard they tried, could ever reach their level.

This was an important lesson for Shuriken, one that she wouldn't learn at this point in time. No, that would come later.

At Shuriken's dorm, she immediately went towards her first aid kit. Shunsui instructed her to sit down once she had found it, and she obeyed without a word.

First, he removed the splinters from her palms; although that provided little jabs of pain that were there one moment and gone the next, the worst part was when Shunsui cleaned her cuts. The antibacterial cream that he used stung.

"You know," Shunsui finally spoke. "I really am proud of the hard work you've put in not only today, but everyday. I don't try half as hard at this shit as you do, Ri, and I know it's not fair. You really put your all into this."

He had begun to tape Shuriken's hands up, and she knew that she really didn't need to try anymore combat training until her wounds had healed. Unfortunately, she knew that meant she'd need to relax until the break was over. Shuriken didn't reply immediately, instead opting to stare at her lap once more like a scolded child.

"Maybe if I had half of the drive you do, my family would actually give a damn and I wouldn't have had the kind of day I did," Shunsui chuckled apathetically at himself. "But if that were the case, I wouldn't have been able to come back to you."

Silence fell over them once more. Shuriken wanted to comfort Shunsui, because as much as her own worries plagued her, she was far more concerned about the pain he seemed to be suffering. His family had pushed him away, as if he was no more than a bag of trash. She knew very well how badly family issues could hurt.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Shuriken blurted out after a moment. A light blush had fanned across her soft cheeks as she looked up at Shunsui, who had moved to put her first aid kit away.

"My, my, is sweet little Ri propositioning me?" The flirtatious grin that Shuriken had grown so accustomed to returned to Shunsui's face; it actually comforted her. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"I just figured you wouldn't want to spend the night alone in your dorm room, with Jushiro gone," Shuriken cleared her throat. Even though her room was a bit chilly, her cheeks felt as though they were burning right off of her face.

"If I knew that getting Ju out of here was all it took to room with you, I would've sent him off to visit his family a long time ago!" Shunsui continued to tease her. He knew very well that Shuriken hadn't meant anything sexual by her offer, but the flustered look on her face was priceless!

Something about her just brought happiness into his heart even when he felt at his lowest; reversely, Shunsui had that same effect on Shuriken. No one could make them smile or cheer them up the way that each other could.

"Never mind," Shuriken sighed dramatically as she scooted over on her bed. She moved so that she was under her sheets, as if she was getting ready for bed. "Well, it's been real, Shun. But I guess I'd better-"

"W-Wait!" Shunsui pouted comically. "I'll go get my stuff, just give me a moment."

"Time's a wasting, Kyoraku," Shuriken rhythmically clicked her tongue like a clock.

"I've got plenty of sake, too!" Shunsui exclaimed as he darted towards the door. By the time Shuriken sat up in excitement, he had already fled to gather his bag.

\- - -

The morning after the break began, Shuriken awoke to her entire body being in some sort of pain. Her head, it seemed, hurt the most; the night before had definitely not been the first time that she and Shunsui had drank together, but she'd never drank that much before.

Her blue eyes opened up slowly and the first thing that she noticed was a large weight across her back; she lied on her stomach with her head towards the wall beside of her. She huffed as she tried to push herself up, only to hear a groan in protest from beside of her.

Shuriken instantly whipped her head around - a bit too quickly, as it caused a sharp pain to shoot through her neck - and noticed Shunsui lying beside of her in her bed. The makeshift bed that they had made for him on the other side of the room was littered with empty sake bottles.

"Shunsui!" Shuriken hissed as she shoved him with all her might. The brunette rolled only a couple of feet away, to where he rested almost evenly between Shuriken's bed and his temporary one. "Wake up!" She shouted as she sat up in bed.

"What?" Shunsui whined more than Shuriken had ever heard from him as he lazily turned his face towards her. His gray eyes were half lidded as he stared at the girl. "What're you being so loud for?"

"What the hell were you doing in my bed?!" Shuriken's voice was a bit panicky. "No, no, no, you're not telling me that we-"

"You passed out before I did last night," Shunsui muttered as he struggled to blink the sleep out of his eyes. "I don't-" He cut himself off as the realization of just what Shuriken was worried about struck him. "Oh!" Shunsui chuckled. "You're worried we had a hot, steamy night of sex that you can't remember!"

Cue a perfectly aimed pillow smacking Shunsui right on the top of his head.

"We didn't do anything of the sort, Ri," Shunsui reassured Shuriken with a caring smile as he finally pushed himself to a seated position. "Like I said, you were out before I was! I'm not the kind of man to take advantage of a woman like that."

Aside from that, in the off chance that he and Shuriken did hook up, Shunsui would want her to remember it.

Shuriken gave a sigh of relief and relaxed with her back against the wall. She looked down at her bandaged hands and briefly wondered if it would be worth trying to train again today, but her entire body ached in protest. Part of her had hoped that she'd wake up healed, but that obviously wasn't the case.

"So, Ri, what do you want to get into today?" Shunsui asked as he ran his hands across his rugged face in an attempt to wake himself up more. "And don't even think about saying that you want to study or train. The whole purpose of us being on break is to not worry about that stuff."

"What are we supposed to do around here then?" Shuriken looked around her room as she spoke. She cringed as she took in the severity of the mess they had made the night before. "I swear, this place looks like a tornado blew through it."

"We could relax like normal students on their winter break," Shunsui spoke rather sassily as he moved to sit across from her on her bed; he was still waking up, and he was not going to let Shuriken rope him into studying or cleaning that day. "I think that's a fair idea."

"Ugh," Shuriken groaned and fell down onto her side. "Remind me to never wake you up again. I'm too hungover for this."

"You're too hungover?" Shunsui scoffed as he too dropped onto his side. The two students faced one another as they lied on Shuriken's bed. Their faces were dangerously close, but the comically irked expressions that they wore were priceless.

"Uh, yeah," Shuriken scoffed. "I'm the one that drank herself unconscious last night."

"Please, I drank twice as much as you," Shunsui countered as his lips pushed out into a pout. "It's not my fault that you've got a low alcohol tolerance."

"And it's not my fault that you drink sake like a horse drinks water," Shuriken huffed as she subconsciously mimicked his pout.

"I think someone needs a little bit more sleep," Shunsui said.

"Only if you go to bed first," Shuriken countered.

"Ha!" Shunsui laughed. "I'm already asleep."

"No," Shuriken protested. "I'm already asleep." In unison, she and Shunsui both rolled over in the bed and faced opposite directions.

All went silent for a moment.

"Stop hogging all of the blanket, you big lug," Shuriken whined as she fought to pull said blanket out of Shunsui's grasp.

"I can't help it you're the size of a puppy," Shunsui childishly shot back. "I can hold you, if that'd be better."

"Just share the blanket!" Shuriken tried once again to yank it away from Shunsui, though she failed.

"You'd be a lot warmer if you'd just snuggle up," Shunsui grumbled. "Sharing body heat is the best way to fight the cold."

"No, the best way to fight the cold is to share the damn blanket!" Shuriken growled and continued her pursuit. Shunsui brushed her off with ease, which only made the tired and hungover woman more irritable.

Finally though, Shuriken admitted defeat and scooted her back closer to Shunsui's. She continued to shiver until a realization ran into her mind.

"Shunsui," Shuriken's voice made the man groan. "Get in your bed."

"Don't wanna," He whined. "Just stop fussing so much and go back to sleep."

It was then that Shunsui rolled back over to face Shuriken. She'd opened her mouth to protest him, but when his arm once more wrapped around her waist and his warmth overtook her, she stopped. There wasn't anything weird about two friends just cuddling in bed together, right?

Then why did she feel so complete as she lied in his arms? Why did she feel safer than she ever had been? Why did he feel as though the entire world was within his grasp?

No. They would both tell themselves as they returned to sleep. We're just two friends enjoying a nice, warm nap on a cold morning. That's all there is to it.

\- - -

The snow that lightly fell across the garden outside of the Soul Reaper academy brought a smile to Shuriken's face as she and Shunsui enjoyed their last night of peace and solitude. The next day would be when all of the other students and faculty returned, and the day after would be when classes resumed as usual.

Shunsui had stayed strong to his guns and kept Shuriken from overworking herself on their break. He hadn't been able to completely keep her from studying (or training, once her hands had healed) but he had managed to keep her to a schedule of - at most - two hours a day. Even that was hard for Shunsui to deal with; he was just so utterly bored whenever all of Shuriken's attention wasn't dedicated to him.

At least on normal days, he had Jushiro or the rest of the academy's pretty girls to keep him company.

However, the rest of their break had been some of the most fun either of them would ever have. This would be the only break that was spent by just the two of them, as Jushiro would either stay with them from then on or drag them back to the Ukitake estate with him, and it was also their first true taste of freedom.

The freedom was pleasant; they could come and go from most areas of the academy, and everywhere that was supposedly 'off-limits,' they were able to sneak into with ease. After all, the few staff members that had stayed around the school either didn't pay enough attention to catch them, or they simply didn't care.

Did Shunsui and Shuriken need to see Yamamoto's personal business room in the academy? No. But did they need to booby-trap it, so that he'd get a nice bucket of cold water poured on his head as soon as he walked back through the door?

The answer to that is also 'no,' but if you had told Shunsui and Shuriken that, they would've disagreed with you. They had become notorious pranksters around the academy in their first few months of classes, but their first winter break really sealed the deal on their love for mischief. In the following months, they'd find themselves in detention far too many times for pranks that had gone wrong.

Or, in their eyes, right.

"You know, I'm really going to miss this," Shunsui said as he looked over at the navy-haired gal beside of him. They were both dressed in festive clothes to celebrate the new year, and the beautiful silk kimono that Shuriken wore made her look absolutely gorgeous. When Shunsui had first seen her in it, she'd nearly taken his breath away. "Not having to worry about school or family or any Soul Reaper duties has been nice."

Shunsui had never completely divulged to Shuriken everything that had gone down with his family on the first day of their break, and she had never brought it up. The truth of the matter was that they had instantly begun to hassle him about his behavior in and out of school, about how he would never be able to fill the shoes that his older brother had left for him. They berated Shunsui to the point that he grabbed the rest of his belongings and didn't return; if they had nothing for him, why should he have anything for them?

"We've had a lot of fun," Shuriken grinned and brought her knees up to her chest. She rested her chin atop her knees as she thought back to all of the good times that she and Shunsui had shared over the break. In a way, she wished that it never had to end; however, she knew that was foolish and that she was only being selfish. "It's almost too bad that our sleep schedules are all out-of-whack. At least I've not got to worry about bugging anyone when I'm up at the odd hours of the morning; Ju will kill you if you don't let him get his sleep."

The brunette couldn't help but laugh as he imagined their gentle friend chewing him out. "Ah, but he's so cute when he's angry, isn't he?"

"Make sure you tell him that when it inevitably happens," Shuriken snickered.

"Oh, I will!" Shunsui nudged Shuriken with his elbow. "And I'll make sure he knows it came directly from the bottom of your loving heart."

"I don't doubt he'll believe that!"

"Why wouldn't he? He likes you more than he likes me!"

"It's probably because he has to listen to your unrelenting snoring every night - really, have you considered getting that checked out?"

"Ri! That was one night I snored on you. One."

"Yeah, but you were so damn loud we nearly got busted!"

They'd spent nearly every night together in Shuriken's room, but from the second night on Shuriken had made Shunsui actually sleep in the make-shift bed that they'd made him. It was just too hard for her to keep him close like that without her mind turning to putty, especially whenever they drank.

"That's true. I guess it does suck that you're probably going to be known as 'Snore-y Shuri' for the rest of your life."

"It was one teacher that said that, Shun. Teachers don't spread stupid nicknames like that."

Shunsui, who had overheard all of the faculty that had remained at the academy talking about 'Snore-y Shuri,' held his tongue. "Of course not. Teachers are far more respectable than you or I."

"Exactly."

They sat back in silence for a moment as Shuriken pondered her future; no one would remember that whenever they graduated, right? If they did, she'd have to kill Shunsui - that was, if Jushiro didn't do so first. But, before either of them could change the subject, the first round of fireworks shot up into the sky.

Although there weren't many souls left at the academy over the break, the staff always held a small New Years party for everyone there. Shuriken and Shunsui had chosen their spot in the garden furthest away from the others, who had all seemed to gather in one little area.

While the sky exploded into color, Shunsui took a look at Shuriken beside of him. Her eyes were brighter than he'd ever seen them, and the expression of pure excitement on her pretty face was unmistakable. For just a moment, every care and worry that she'd ever had must've left her mind.

However, as Shunsui stared at the gorgeous girl beside of him, he began to wonder for the first time, if maybe - and that was a strong maybe - he really did care for Shuriken more than one friend would care for another. Maybe it wasn't just a little crush that he had on Shuriken.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd started to fall in love with this hard-working, determined girl. If he was lucky, he believed, then maybe one day she would fall for him too; sometime when they were older and he was more experienced with relationships. After all, the last thing he wanted was to royally fuck up and lose her.

Even if those stars didn't completely align in the future, Shunsui found himself hoping that he'd get to spend every new year with Shuriken by his side. That, he told himself, was more important than anything else between them.


	4. 'aim for the stars'

As Shuriken progressed through the Soul Reaper academy, the years seemed to fly by. She trained and she studied and she worked herself to the bone, all with her two best friends by her side. Of course, she also took plenty of time to relax and enjoy herself, too; Shunsui and Jushiro made sure of that.

However, by the end of their second year, the three students had attracted the attention of Head Captain Genryusai Yamamoto. You see, Yamamoto made sure to visit the academy whenever he had the time, and on one particular day, he observed a series of mock fights that Shuriken, Shunsui, and Jushiro participated in. He watched from afar until all was said and done, so as to not disrupt the focus of the students - but, he was quite impressed by the Natazaki, Kyoraku, and Ukitake.

Of course, when he called them over after class, Shuriken and Shunsui were certain that they were in trouble. They weren't necessarily sure what _Jushiro_ had done to get grouped in with them, but surely meeting with Yamamoto in private couldn't end well!

The truth of the matter was that Yamamoto wanted to praise the three students and express his interest in their training. He saw potential in them - in _all_ three of them, much to Shuriken's excitement - and, regardless of his busy schedule, he wanted to help them become some of the best Soul Reapers that the Seriete had ever seen.

Needless to say, they were ecstatic! Shuriken had finally received the validation that she longed for, and for the first time since she had started at the academy, she felt as if all of the work she had done was worth it. On the other hand, Shunsui was proud to be making something of himself whenever his parents told him it was impossible! Jushiro? He was, perhaps, the most excited of them all. He couldn't wait to begin training with Yamamoto.

\- - -

Jushiro (as well as Shuriken and Shunsui) would soon realize that the academy's normal schedule was nothing compared to the training regime that Yamamoto put them through. From their first day together, Yamamoto put the three students through the ringer; he pushed them to their limits right off the bat in order to properly assess their abilities.

This led to Shuriken spending countless hours on her kido over the following school years, and, perhaps, even more hours in the nurse's office. It seemed as though no matter how hard the poor girl tried, she could never get her kido skills to the same level as her swordsmanship.

Yamamoto tried to help her; Jushiro did, too. Hell, even Shunsui gave it the old college try when he grew tired of seeing Shuriken blow herself up! Alas, nothing seemed to work. In fact, Shuriken wouldn't get a good grasp on her kido until years after they graduated. Real combat experience would prove to be the kick in the ass that she needed to figure everything out!

Well, at least for the most part.

It was apparent to Yamamoto from the beginning that Jushiro and Shunsui were on an entirely different level from even Shuriken. Yamamoto had an eye for talent and he saw a bright future the two young males; that was, assuming that they could overcome their own personal obstacles to reach that point.

Shunsui's love for women often kept his mind out of the game and whenever a pretty gal would come near one of their training sessions, it was easy for him to get distracted. That was his biggest issue, Yamamoto quickly noticed; that, and how little he seemed to care for his school work.

Jushiro, on the other hand, was very observant and hard to distract in combat. The only real problem of his that Yamamoto had noticed was that he had the tendency to push himself too hard whenever he really got into a training session. That, of course, led to Jushiro's tuberculosis flaring up and thus putting the young male on the sidelines.

The longer that the trio worked alongside Yamamoto, the more that they grew not only as fighters, but as people, too. After all, not _every_ moment that they spent with the old man was used to batter their bodies or wrack their minds. Yamamoto enjoyed taking a break with his three favorite students every now and again over tea or a nice dinner.

It was during that time that Shuriken and the boys developed a love for their elder that would only strengthen over the years. He became something of a father to all of them, even though Shuriken had adored her own father and Jushiro loved his wholeheartedly. Yamamoto grew quite fond of them as well, to the point where he even thought of them as his children.

Honestly, why wouldn't he? After they began training together, Yamamoto was the one that they went to when looking for praise. He provided the parental support that both Shuriken and Shunsui so desperately needed at that phase in their lives, and for Jushiro it was like having a second father. Even on the days when Yamamoto was his most strict with them, there was still that same, fatherly love burning within his heart. Nothing that he ever said to the trio was out of spite or disdain; Yamamoto wanted what was best for his students, for the three that he had hand-picked himself.

The more the years progressed and the more Yamamoto learned about Shuriken, Shunsui, and Jushiro, the more that he was able to flesh out a plan for them once they graduated. Of course, the specifics of his plans wouldn't be completely revealed to them until closer to the time; if they were aware of exactly what he had in store for them, Yamamoto worried it would cause them to slack off in their studies. At least, he worried about that on Shunsui's end - Shuriken and Jushiro, he knew, would be just fine.

As with everything that the old man did, he had reasoning behind what it was that he _did_ tell them. His interactions with the three during this time - whether it be with them as a group, or individually - were done with the intention of getting certain reactions out of them that could lead either to their success or their failure, depending on how _they_ handled it. Yamamoto tested them frequently, even if they themselves weren't aware of it.

 _That_ is why Yamamoto made sure that Shuriken was present whenever he told Shunsui and Jushiro that they would spend their last year and a half in the academy preparing for captain roles. Shunsui and Jushiro, Yamamoto told them, would be the first-ever captains to have graduated from his Soul Reaper Academy. The honor was one that was not to be taken lightly.

"Where will I be stationed, sir?" Shuriken tried so desperately to mask the self-doubt that had begun to overtake her. While Yamamoto had been praising her friends and overloading them with schedules and agendas, he had been silent on the matter of her own future. Although Yamamoto had spent so much time training her over the years, she worried that she'd failed him; that she'd failed _herself_.

"All in due time, Miss Natazaki," Yamamoto's voice was steady and relaxed, without the slightest hint of unacceptance. "Although you may not be treading down the exact same path as your friends, you've still got a lot to offer the Soul Society. Worry not for now; focus instead on honing your craft and making yourself irreplaceable."

"Y-Yes, sir," Shuriken said as she nodded to Yamamoto. "Of course."

"Are you sure you're making the right decision by training us for the captain's position so soon, Head Captain?" Jushiro's brows furrowed as he looked up at the older man. "Shunsui and I, we're not ready, are we?"

"Absolutely not!" Yamamoto's voice increased in volume as he spoke those two words. Despite the frequency at which he changed the volume of his voice, it always startled the three. "That is why you two must work hard for the remainder of your time at the academy, if you wish to reach your true potential."

"But Yama," Shunsui whined as he, rather dramatically, changed from his seated position to lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head. "What if I don't want to be a captain? That sounds like a lot of responsibility, don't you think?"

Shunsui's comment had been one typical for himself; the kind of, 'I really don't want to have to do more work than I have to' bullshit that he'd been spewing out of his mouth since he was a child. Yet, at the same time, his total disregard for the position that Shuriken longed for stung. Yamamoto and Jushiro both caught the brief tinge of sadness that flashed in her eyes as she stood to her feet.

"Can I be excused, sir? I just remembered I've got some uh, some stuff I've got to do," Shuriken's excuse was, frankly, pathetic, but the way that she gripped her wooden sword in her hand told Yamamoto that she wanted to leave and go train. One thing that he'd always admired about the girl was her desire to succeed; her _drive_ to better herself.

Yamamoto had to admit that Shuriken had grown tremendously in the time he'd worked with her. Not only had her combat skills improved - kido aside, of course - she had also matured from the timid, easy-to-break little girl that she had been when she first moved into the dormitory. Shuriken had grown strong in both mind and spirit!

But, Shunsui's words cut through her, although his words didn't even have anything to do with her. Whether or not he wanted a captain's position was his own business, but for Shuriken, it meant more. The fact that Yamamoto had so blatantly declared that he and Jushiro were near a captain's level before graduating while she hadn't even been told so much as what squad she would be placed in just hammered in the fact that the two of them were on a level all of their own.

Shuriken wouldn't ever be able to catch up to them, she knew that. But to hear Shunsui just completely shit on the amazing opportunity that had been presented to him was painful for her.

"Carry on, Natazaki," Yamamoto nodded towards the exit to dismiss the girl. She quickly nodded and rushed out the door, leaving the three males to finish their business.

"You think she's feeling all right?" Shunsui asked as he propped himself up onto his elbows. He swung his head slowly from side to side, from Jushiro to Yamamoto. They both wore similar, exasperated expressions as they stared at the young brunette. "What?"

"You really are an idiot sometimes, Shun," Jushiro sighed as he placed a hand on the side of his head. "You truly don't have any idea why Shuri left?"

"No," Shunsui raised a brow as he then turned back to their teacher. "Hey Yama, what did I-"

"Are you really that dense, boy?!" Yamamoto scoffed. "It's no wonder most women won't give you the time of day."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shunsui's face scrunched in annoyance as he stared up at the older man.

"Shunsui," Jushiro shook his head at his friend. "You know how hard she works. You've been given the opportunity that she's tried her hardest to receive and acted as though it was nothing."

"It's not like I asked to be a captain," Shunsui huffed childishly as he crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes were narrowed and his gaze was cast to the floor where Shuriken had been seated. "Hell, she deserves it more than I do!"

"She has incredible potential, yes," Yamamoto said. "But, she has not yet reached the level necessary for a captain. That will come in time, assuming her work ethic remains as it is now."

"Then just save my spot for her!" Shunsui flung his arm out and pointed towards the door. "I'm not ready for this, Yama. I don't _want_ it!"

Before Yamamoto or Jushiro could say a word, Shunsui had rushed to his feet and fled the room. Jushiro tried to stand and follow after Shunsui, but Yamamoto stopped him with the raise of his hand; Jushiro stared up at his teacher in confusion.

"This is something that Shunsui and Shuriken must work out on their own. It's not our place to interfere on this - they must settle this together," Yamamoto told him.

It pained Jushiro to see his friends suffering, but he knew that Yamamoto was right. The problems they faced were within themselves.

\- - -

She didn't understand why things were the way that they were. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how hungry she was to succeed, it was always as if she was just two steps behind or just a day too late.

One of the biggest road blocks between Shuriken and her friends, she knew, was that they had both already mastered the shikai forms of their zanpakuto. Shunsui and Jushiro both had formed deep connections with their blades whereas Shuriken had yet to even learn the name of hers.

It wasn't as if she didn't _try_. In fact, each and every day she tried to reach out to her zanpakuto!

"Please," Shuriken begged as she gripped tightly onto the hilt of her sword, "Just talk to me, even if it's only for a second. I'll do anything you ask of me, I promise."

As soon as she ceased talking, silence once more fell over the empty training area in which Shuriken stood. She stared down at her zanpakuto for a few more moments before releasing a sigh and loosening her grip just a bit.

"That's fine, I guess. I'll be here when you want to talk though, okay?" Shuriken let out a tart, short laugh before raising her gaze to the training dummies around her. As students weren't allowed to use their zanpakuto on the school grounds, Shuriken carefully sheathed her companion before once more picking up her wooden sword.

She had just raised her sword to strike one of the faux enemies when a light blue mist encompassed the field in front of her. Shuriken dropped the sword to the ground as she jumped back just a bit, her eyes locked on the strange sight before her. The mist soon began to settle, revealing a small, fierce looking wolf with dark eyes and fur as blue as Shuriken's eyes.

"Your insecurities will be your downfall, you know that, don't you?" The wolf's voice was deep, yet lighter than Yamamoto's. "You have no reason to doubt your abilities, yet you do. Why is that, Shuriken?"

"I-" Shuriken wasn't sure how to respond to the creature. She felt as though she was being scolded by someone who had known her for years, someone who knew her better than she knew herself. While on one hand the wolf felt like a complete stranger, on the other, he felt like a long-lost friend. "I don't-"

"You're too worried about losing your friends!" The wolf's voice raised in volume as he angrily flicked his tail. "Your friends, the ones who have been by your side since your first days at this strenuous academy for the spiritually gifted," He lowered his tone just as quickly. "You don't understand how foolish it is to believe that they would leave you, do you?"

"Okay, maybe it is stupid to worry about that!" Shuriken knew that the wolf had begun to purposefully target the aspects of herself that were weaker. "But if I'm as great as you say I am, why is it that I don't even have a squad to look forward to while Shunsui and Jushiro are going to be captains?!"

That particular wound was fresh on Shuriken's heart; after all, the reason that she had left their meeting with Yamamoto to train was because of Shunsui's blatant disrespect for the captain's seat.

"Don't push this off on the Ukitake boy, as if you're upset at _him_ ," The wolf once more flicked his tail. "You know exactly how Kyoraku is; he's lazy and lacks motivation for the very profession in which he thrives. He's never cared anywhere near as much about becoming a Soul Reaper as you do, yet he's able to achieve everything that you cannot much easier than you can. And when he gets the opportunity you long for, he doesn't want it!"

Shuriken's right hand balled up into a fist as she continued to stare at the wolf. She knew that Shunsui _did_ care for his Soul Reaper duties, even if he didn't act that way. At the same time, she didn't understand why he seemed to be so complacent with the idea of being less than his best when it came to his position.

Shunsui deserved a captain's seat, Shuriken knew this. She just wished that he _wanted_ it like she did.

"For all of his faults, at least the boy has successfully connected with his Katen Kyokotsu," The wolf scoffed. "You've never made any progress with your zanpakuto, although it has been watching over you since your birth."

"I've tried!" Shuriken protested. "I've never wanted anything more than to meet my zanpakuto spirit and learn its name."

"Shuriken, Shuriken, Shuriken," The wolf shook its head as it stared up at the girl. "Do you mean to tell me you've not noticed anything peculiar about me? About how I know so much about you? About why you've not fled from me, nor tried to fight me?" Shuriken's hand relaxed as the wolf continued to speak. "You know who I am, dear."

She walked over to the wolf and crouched down right in front of it. As Shuriken rested on one knee, she locked her light-blue eyes with his black ones.

"Umi no Okami," The name flowed from Shuriken's mouth naturally; as if she had known it her entire life. "I'm sorry that I-"

"Shush," Okami placed a paw on Shuriken's knee as they stared at one another. The wolf appeared to wear something of a smirk. "You want to train, don't you? To live up to your Natazaki name?"

"More than anything," Shuriken smirked back at her zanpakuto spirit.

"Then we have no time to waste," Okami pulled back from Shuriken and leapt gracefully to one of the nearby tree trunks. "I can't guarantee that you'll reach the level of those boys you like so much, but we'll aim for the stars!" His deep voice boomed proudly. "We have a lot of lost time to make up for, Shuriken, so I hope you're prepared!"

"Don't hold back, Okami!" Shuriken had never felt more alive as she once more picked up her wooden sword and charged towards the wolf.

The time had finally come where Shuriken was able to meet Umi no Okami, and she was ready to show him what she was made of.

\- - -

Whereas Shuriken had chosen to take out her worries and frustrations with training, Shunsui instead turned to the comfort of the first girl that he could find that was willing to go back to his dorm room with him. Despite the comment that Yamamoto had made earlier about most women not giving Shunsui the time of day, he really was quite popular with the girls.

Unfortunately, most of the girls that Shunsui hooked up with cared only about his status as a noble; they didn't care anything about who he was as a person. His personality was the least of their concerns! They were able to say that they had fucked a nobleman, and that was what was important to them.

It was sad, really. The ladies provided Shunsui temporary satisfaction, and if they _did_ seem to show any interest in him, as long as they had made an impression on him, they would meet up yet again. Nothing ever lasted though, not when it came to Shunsui's relationships.

"You know," Shunsui spoke to the female he'd just shagged as he laid in his bed. The only thing that covered his naked form was the thin sheet that draped carelessly across his waist. "I'm going to be a captain when I graduate."

He appeared to be bragging, but that truly wasn't the case. Shunsui just wanted to tell someone about it, someone who wouldn't have any further impact on his life after today.

"Oh, really?" The girl had removed herself from the bed so that she could dress herself, but as Shunsui began to talk he caught her interest. A nobleman _and_ a captain?! "That's _amazing_ , Shunsui. You definitely deserve it."

"But I don't want it," Shunsui said simply as he rolled over onto his back and folded his arms behind his head. "That's too much responsibility for me."

"You'd be such a good captain, though," The gal purred as she slunk into bed and laid her head on his muscular, hairy chest. "You're so strong and handsome, and you're at the top of your class! You're just _amazing_."

She had begun to irk Shunsui as she filled him with the same sort of fake, uninterested praise that ladies loved to throw his way. It'd be different if they actually _did_ care about him or his future, but they were far too concerned with marrying wealthy to love anyone but themselves.

"I'm not the hot shit you think I am, doll," Shunsui shrugged the woman off as he scooted over in bed. He moved to where he was right against the wall, though the sheet fell off of him in the process. "I really don't even deserve it."

"You're just being modest," She shook her head as her eyes trailed down to Shunsui's exposed cock. When she reached a hand out towards it, Shunsui gently grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"All right, I think it's time you head out on your way," Shunsui told her as he released his hold. The girl stared at him for a moment to judge if he was serious or not, and after deciding that he was, she growled and got off of his bed.

She finished dressing herself quickly and then rushed to his door. "You're such a dick, Kyoraku!" She shouted at Shunsui before running away from him and slamming his door shut behind her.

"I'm not a dick," Shunsui muttered as he once more made himself comfortable in bed. He then took the opportunity to pull the sheet back up to his waist, as a chill had entered the room when the door had been slammed that didn't necessarily feel good on his cock.

He lied there, gray eyes scanning mindlessly across the ceiling as he replayed the moment that Yamamoto had told them that he and Jushiro would be training to become captains. Did the old man really think that Shunsui was ready for that? Shunsui himself had no doubts that Jushiro would thrive in the role; it was almost as if his white-haired friend had been _born_ for the position.

But _Shunsui_? He couldn't believe it.

Then, his mind flickered to Shuriken and he felt a tug on his heartstrings. His partner-in-crime had always pushed him and believed in him, she saw the potential that he himself didn't. Shuriken, his beloved best friend who had worked her ass off since day one to succeed while he slacked off.

Shuriken, who saw the best in Shunsui even when he felt his worst.

"Ah, dammit," Shunsui grunted as he sat up in bed and looked down at the clothes he had been wearing earlier. "Maybe I _am_ a dick."

He reluctantly hauled himself out of bed and put on his clothes before leaving the dorm far behind him. Shunsui didn't even need to think twice about where Shuriken would be; after all, she could be just as predictable as he was.

\- - -

An exhausted sigh escaped Shuriken's lips as she flopped down on the ground beside of Umi no Okami's spirit form. She and the wolf had trained together until he had ruled it cruel for them to continue any longer. For their first session together, Shuriken had felt as though she had learned a lot from her zanpakuto.

Okami was quite the protective being, she had learned early on. Although he certainly helped Shuriken grow and flourish, he also tried his best to make sure that she didn't push herself too far just as she had grown accustomed to. Over the past couple of years, Shuriken had taken a healthy interest in fighting; Okami _strongly_ discouraged this, even if it meant just to spar with her colleagues.

She couldn't help but wonder sometimes when he spoke, if he realized that she was a _Soul Reaper_. Someone who had to fight for a living, at least, part of the time.

"Thank you, Okami," Shuriken said to the wolf as she picked up his sheath and lied it across her lap. She was tired, but she hadn't felt so accomplished since the first time she and Yamamoto worked together one-on-one. "I'm lucky to have someone like you on my side."

"Not as lucky as I am, Shuriken," Okami spoke proudly. He rested the tip of his tail on his companion's shoulder for just a brief moment before returning to his blade form and materializing in his sheath.

Shuriken raised her zanpakuto up to her chest and held it tightly against her. Her eyes closed briefly as she took in the moment. She _finally_ knew her zanpakuto spirit! With Okami, was there anything that she couldn't do?

"Why is it that you always try to solve your problems with violence?" Shunsui's voice interrupted Shuriken's train of thought. She looked up as she laid Okami down in time to see Shunsui walking towards her with an apologetic smile upon his lips.

"I don't know, why is it that you always try to solve yours with sex?" Shuriken shot back with her own smile. Shunsui laughed the remark off as he took a seat across from the navy-haired female.

"Look, Ri," Shunsui began, only to be interrupted by Shuriken.

"Don't apologize. I overreacted," She shook her head at him. "I was selfish, Shunsui. Instead of being happy for you and Jushiro, I made it about _me_. Who gives a shit if you don't want to be a captain yet? By the time we graduate, you'll have a completely different opinion on the matter! And if not, you'll learn to love it because you'll be one of the greatest captains the Soul Society has ever seen."

"W-What?!" Shunsui slapped his hands onto his knees. "No! Don't _you_ apologize! I'm the asshole that completely shit all over my opportunity! You want this more than anything and instead of it going to you, it's going to me and I don't want it! The least I can do is buck up and do my job!"

Although it certainly wasn't his focus at that moment, Shuriken's praise warmed Shunsui far more than any random lay of the week could. She truly believed in him and knew that he could succeed.

"You've not got to force yourself into feeling any sort of way for me, Shun," Shuriken laughed, albeit tiredly. "I appreciate the effort, but I've learned a lot today. Someone taught me my worth and helped me see that my future is brighter than the sun. Just because I'm not good enough for a captain's seat yet, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to get there one day. It's just going to take time."

Shunsui could tell just by the look in Shuriken's beautiful eyes that she'd found some sort of new resolve. She had a confidence about her that had been growing over the years, but had finally blossomed into something spectacular. Shuriken wasn't cocky by any means, but now, she believed in herself.

And god, her confidence was so fucking attractive.

"I'm going to take a wild guess based on the way that you were holding your zanpakuto when I walked in and say that it finally spoke to you today," Shunsui grinned in excitement for his friend.

"Umi no Okami," Shuriken said her zanpakuto's name as she raised it up towards Shunsui. "He's amazing, Shun."

"I'm glad to hear it!" Shunsui chuckled as he looked briefly from Shuriken to her zanpakuto. "I just hope for your sake that he's not as nosy as my girls are," He then gave a dramatic sigh. "Katen Kyokotsu never give me a break. I don't know if I could handle having them manifested all the time."

It was then that Shuriken snickered, thinking back to the one time that she had met Shunsui's zanpakuto spirits. They most certainly were a handful, and Shuriken was grateful that Okami wasn't that playful.

Or at least, she didn't _know_ how pesky the protective wolf could be. As Shuriken would soon learn, Okami had a dastardly side where he would tease the hell out of Shuriken for her crush on Shunsui. In all honesty, Umi no Okami and Katen Kyokotsu were more similar than either Shuriken or Shunsui would like to admit.

"I don't know, you might enjoy the help during whatever whacky training regime the old man puts you through," Shuriken pointed out. "I bet it'll break your heart, having to see his face all the time instead of your girlfriends."

"Okay, that hurt," Shunsui whined as he placed a hand over his chest. "I'll probably forget what the touch of a woman feels like. I might need you to come to remind me of it!"

 _Smack_!

The hilt of Umi no Okami connected perfectly on Shunsui's forehead, at the space right above his nose. It looked almost as if Shuriken were trying to perform a konso on him. In return, Shunsui fell onto his back and stared wide-eyed at the evening sky.

"I think you'll be fine," Shuriken huffed, but a faint blush had dusted across her cheeks. "They won't be able to deal with you constantly whining about it, so I'm sure they'll let you see the free world _sometimes_."

"I wish you weren't so cruel, Ri," Shunsui blinked a few times before sitting back up. "Your mind always goes to the most perverted places."

" _My_ mind does that?! As if! Which one of us has a body count longer than our arm?"

"Actually, I'd say mine is bigger than my-"

"Brain?" Shuriken interrupted Shunsui and caused them both to laugh.

"I was really talking about my-"

"Zanpakuto?"

"My-"

"Your stack of unfinished homework?"

"Now you're just being mean."

"I'm sorry, you _must_ be talking about your collection of dirty magazines."

"What if I was going to say it's bigger than my heart?" Shunsui countered.

"Well, were you?"

"Nah, I really was just talking about my dick."

"I find it very hard to believe that your dick is bigger than the number of women you've been with."

"Don't knock it till you try it, Ri!"

"Nope," Shuriken shook her head as she stood up with her zanpakuto in her right hand. "I'm going to have to pass."

"Then you have no reason to give me so much grief about it!"

"Fair enough."

\- - -

While Shuriken and Shunsui had gone their separate ways from Jushiro earlier in the day, the latter had stayed with Yamamoto and begun his training early. It wasn't anything that would necessarily put him ahead of Shunsui, as really, they had focused on certain little things that Jushiro had yet to perfect as he had been forced to miss a class or two with Yamamoto due to his illness. By the time they had finished though, they left Yamamoto's dojo to find Shuriken and Shunsui walking down the hallway together.

The duo were facing away from Yamamoto and Jushiro, but it was easy to tell that they were laughing and joking just like usual. All of the previous tension between them had been resolved and it was as if nothing had ever happened.

"I'm so glad to see them so happy," Jushiro smiled and looked up at Yamamoto.

The older man placed a hand on Jushiro's back as he said, "I told you there was no reason to worry. I can almost promise you that very little will ever be able to keep these two apart for long."

Jushiro was smart enough to infer exactly what their teacher was referring to when it came to Shuriken and Shunsui. In fact, it was something that Jushiro had thought about a lot as well.

Jushiro's goofy best friends were meant for each other. It just seemed as though that was a memo that everyone else but them had received.


	5. 'the future'

Graduation day for the students of the Soul Reaper Academy was quite different from the human world equivalent, where everyone would gather around in a ceremony to receive their diplomas. Instead, all the graduating students were gathered into one room where - if he were available at the time - Head Captain Yamamoto himself gave them a speech about their upcoming Soul Reaper duties.

By this point, everyone had received a letter from the captain of the squad that they would be joining; of course, there were three exceptions to this. Shunsui and Jushiro would _be_ captains come the next day, but Shuriken just hadn't heard back from anyone.

It made her ridiculously anxious, if she were to be honest.

Shuriken had grown immensely over the last year of her time at the academy, all thanks to her zanpakuto spirit. Yamamoto had promised her that her work would be rewarded, but as her peers began to leave the room after graduation, she wondered when the old man would speak up.

"Guys?" Shuriken said as she looked towards Shunsui and Jushiro. "Where the hell do I go?"

"You know I'd always be happy to have you in my squad, Ri," Shunsui grinned as he draped an arm across Shuriken's shoulders. "I'll gladly take all the pretty faces I can get!"

"Or if you'd rather have a less painful work environment, you're welcome in the Thirteenth," Jushiro said playfully. Shunsui pouted, but Shuriken laughed.

"I appreciate that, but I'd still like to know where Yamamoto wants to put me," Shuriken then frowned as she looked over to the Head Captain. He was finishing up a conversation with a couple of their now former classmates when he noticed the trio staring at him. Yamamoto then dismissed their peers and motioned his star pupils forward.

"You seem distressed, young Natazaki," Yamamoto always cut straight to the point, even on what was one of the happiest days of Shuriken, Shunsui, and Jushiro's lives. "Did you really believe that I had forgotten to assign you a squad?!"

Though his voice was loud, Yamamoto's tone was more playful than scolding.

"I mean, you're not as young as you once were, Yama," Shunsui teased. "Just because you've not gone completely gray yet, that doesn't mean-"

" _Silence_!" Although Yamamoto had succeeded in ceasing Shunsui's talking for the time being, he couldn't stop the young man's snicker. "There were several captains that requested your subordination, Natazaki, including both of your dear friends here. I hope you realize that it is no small feint to have just _one_ captain interested in your abilities; yet, you had several."

Of course, Shuriken realized that; Yamamoto even knew that she did. That was why he allowed her to take a moment and let the impression that she had made on the Soul Society sink in. Throughout the various missions that she'd led her classmates on, she'd attracted a lot of positive attention by many seasoned Soul Reapers.

After years at Yamamoto's Soul Reaper Academy, Shuriken was no longer the same pitiful, scared child that she had been after her family's unfortunate demise. Now, she had become a promising up-and-coming Soul Reaper with all the potential in the world.

That, naturally, is what made the choice of what squad she would start in so obvious.

"I, however, have the final say in the placement of all new recruits. Because of the skills that you continue to grow and your incredible dedication to not only your work, but to those around you, you shall join my First Division, Natazaki Shuriken."

For a moment, Shuriken could do little more than just stare at the older man in absolute shock. Had she heard him right? Was she _really_ going to be working under _the_ Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai himself? The same man that she'd grown to admire so much, regardless of the seemingly meaningless tasks he had not only her, but Shunsui and Jushiro as well perform?

"No seriously, where am I getting placed?" Shuriken's mouth spoke as her mind tried to process what was reality. "Why the hell would you want to be stuck with _me_?"

"I just explained myself, did I not?!" Yamamoto's eye twitched in annoyance as he looked down at the navy-haired female. "You'll be my fifth seat, effective tomorrow! What is so hard to understand about that?"

" _Fifth_ seat?!" Shuriken found this even more difficult to believe, but the bulging vein on Yamamoto's forehead told her that he was completely serious. "Am I really qualified for that position, Head Captain?"

"Do you truly believe I would have given it to you, were you not ready?" Yamamoto's voice softened as he and Shuriken shared their moment together. He was proud of her, similarly to how proud he'd become of Shunsui and Jushiro. Yamamoto knew that, years down the line, the three of them would be considered some of the greatest Soul Reapers in history.

One of them, he was sure, would eventually take his place as Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads one day; that day, of course, would be centuries down the line. Yamamoto wouldn't fall easily and he had no intentions of going anywhere any time soon.

"I won't let you down," Shuriken promised Yamamoto. A determined grin graced her lips as she spoke, visibly showcasing the excitement she felt. Her father had worked alongside Yamamoto, and she, too, would be doing the same.

Though, Shuriken found herself wondering _where_ Tahara had fallen in the hierarchy of the First Division. Had she been given a higher seat than he ever held, or was she still far away from the position he had once coveted? She wasn't sure - Tahara rarely spoke of his Soul Reaper duties at home, and when he _did_ , it was usually to pacify _her_.

"I know you won't," Yamamoto said in reply.

A twinge of sadness momentarily shot through Shuriken as she thought of her father, but it was quickly taken away when Shunsui grabbed her from behind and hoisted her up onto his shoulders. Though she initially squeaked out of surprise, Shuriken soon found herself laughing as she placed her hands atop of his head.

"Is it cool if we get the heck out of here and go enjoy the rest of our graduation day, Yama?" Shunsui asked as if he _hadn't_ already made up his mind. "You know, since you're going to have this pretty lady all cooped up in the office from now until the end of time. I just figure we should have some fun with her before she forgets what that feels like."

"Go on," Yamamoto sighed and dismissed the group with a wave of his hand. The three then exchanged smiles.

They had barely made it outside when they were greeted by a group of their classmates, one of whom held a camera. Everyone seemed to be bustling with energy and excitement, just as they should be!

"Can the three of you stand together? We'd love to get a picture of you guys!" The one with the camera spoke up.

"Yeah!" A girl agreed. "And this beauty can print as many copies as we'd like, so you guys can have one, too!"

"That sounds perfect," Jushiro grinned at Shunsui and Shuriken, the latter of whom still sat upright with her legs dangling over the brunette's shoulders. "Thank you."

"Sure, I don't see any downside to preserving our memories," Shunsui looked up at Shuriken with one of his normal, carefree (but so painfully handsome) smiles. "You in?"

"Absolutely," Shuriken said. "Why would I ever want to forget this day?"

Thus, the trio posed for a beautiful picture that would always bring a smile to their faces. They hadn't quite realized what all was in store for them in their futures, but they knew that they could take anything on as long as they had each other by their sides.

\---

Hours after graduation, Shuriken, Shunsui, and Jushiro were holed up in Shuriken's humble abode in the First Division barracks. Her two best friends had been gracious enough to help her move her belongings from her dorm in the academy – Shunsui _definitely_ did not complain – and after that, they had decided to kick back, relax, and celebrate their graduation in style!

"Can you believe this shit? We're going to be _captains_ , Jushiro!" Shunsui was just a tad bit on the drunken side.

"Who cares? Look at this place! I'm in the _First_ Division!" And Shuriken? She was just a little bit drunker than Shunsui.

"We've all come a long way, yes. It's amazing," Jushiro, though, was as sober as could be. All his entertainment came from watching Shunsui and Shuriken make complete fools of themselves.

Neither of them would remember most of the night when the morning came, but _Jushiro_ would. The memories of their graduation night would give him amusement for many years to come.

"I'm so proud of you guys," Shuriken, with the grace of a newborn deer, stood up and moved to where she sat between Shunsui and Jushiro. She draped an arm across both of their shoulders as she slurred out, "I said I didn't care just a minute ago, but I _do_ care. I care a lot. I'm sorry I lied."

Her head dropped in shame and Shunsui was quick to slide an arm behind her back to steady her – not that _he_ needed any help sitting up straight. It wasn't as if he had fallen over several times already that night, only for Jushiro to pull him back up with an only slightly aggravated grunt.

"You've not got anything to apologize for, sweetheart," Shunsui shook his head as he leaned against Shuriken. She was quick to lean back against him, too. "We know you're just playing around. Right, Ju?"

Jushiro had to stifle a laugh as he said, "Exactly. You were just playing around."

"What'd I ever do to deserve you guys?!" _Thump!_ Drunken Shuriken had just tossed herself backwards onto the floor. It appeared she had taken a page from Drunken Shunsui's book. "You're too good to me."

"No, no, you're too good to us!" _THUNK!_ Ah, _there_ was Drunken Shunsui. "It's _we_ that don't deserve _you_!"

"Do you mean that?" Shuriken, who had been facing Shunsui, heaved herself onto her other side and looked up at Jushiro. "Is-Is he lying to me, Ju? 'Cause he's kind of a lying asshole sometimes."

"I can hear you, you know!" Shunsui whined.

For not the first time that night, Jushiro felt like the babysitter of two whiny, grown children. Neither Shuriken nor Shunsui would ever admit that they could get this way, but when _just_ the right about of booze got into their systems, they couldn't help themselves.

"What do you think, Shuri?" To Shuriken, Jushiro sounded like the sweetest, most angelic man in the world at that moment. There was, truthfully, an almost undetectable hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I think you guys are pretty damn cool," Shuriken giggled as she, once more, rolled herself over. This time, she lied on her back and stared up at the roof of her new home. All her movements had made her mind swim more than it had been, and thus she found herself spacing out on the ceiling. "Am I drunk?"

"If you're drunk, I'm drunk," Shunsui heaved an arm across Shuriken's stomach in an attempt to cuddle up closer to her. "And I'm definitely _not_ drunk, right, Ju?"

Jushiro shook his head, but before the male could verbally reply, Shuriken had spoken up. "No, I think you're definitely _are_ drunk, man," When Jushiro looked down at Shuriken, he noticed that she had placed a hand on Shunsui's face to keep him from getting too close to her.

"I don't believe that for a second, Ri," Shunsui protested. He nuzzled his stubbled cheek against her palm and Shuriken grunted in annoyance.

" _Stop_ ," She whined, "Go away. I might be drunk, and I might be _really_ fuckin' proud of you, but I don't want to cuddle."

"Then who am I supposed to cuddle?" Shunsui faked a sob. "Jushiro?"

"I might be gay, but I'm not _desperate_ ," Jushiro's blunt response caused Shuriken to erupt into laughter. "You've not got to be cuddling someone at all times, Shun."

"I can't believe the two of you are so heartless," Shunsui grumbled as he – shakily – forced himself to his feet. He looked down at Shuriken and Jushiro with the most pitiful expression he could manage in his drunken state, something that turned out more hilarious than sad. "Whenever I make new friends in my division, you'll both feel awful for breaking my heart."

"Please sit back down. I'd much rather not have to tell the Head Captain that you've wandered off and gotten yourself lost before your first day as captain," Jushiro motioned towards the place where Shunsui had been just moments before.

"Not until you both apologize," Shunsui crossed his arms over his chest and pursed out his lips.

"I'm not apologizing for anything," Shuriken muttered stubbornly. She heaved herself back up into a sitting position and, with impeccable precision for a drunken woman, grabbed the bottle of sake that they had been pouring from. "Because if you're not here, that just means more for me!"

"H-Hey! That was supposed to work!" He hadn't been expecting that – of course he hadn't. "Why have you got to be so mean to me, Ri?"

"No one's making you leave, you just don't want to stay with us," Shuriken shook her head before taking a long, hard drink from the bottle. "You're the mean one."

Shunsui sighed, but he still sat back down with his best friends. As the two continued to playfully bicker, Jushiro took the opportunity to sneak off into Shuriken's tiny kitchen and make himself some more tea. While he would have an occasional drink of sake, it really just wasn't something he enjoyed too much; besides, Shunsui and Shuriken drank more than enough to cover him.

"We really made it, huh?" Jushiro spoke softly to himself as he poured the warm drink into a glass. A blissful smile had crept onto the young man's lips as he lifted the tea off the counter and walked over to a nearby window. Although the night sky was dark, the bright, full moon illuminated the homes of several other First Division members. Jushiro couldn't help but to wonder who lived in those barracks; what their names were, their dreams, their aspirations in life.

If there was one thing that could be said about Ukitake Jushiro, it was that he was extremely kind-hearted. Although it was a trait that many saw as a weakness, Jushiro was very compassionate when it came to his comrades, whether they be members of his own division or another. Was it really any surprise that, years down the line, he'd have Soul Reapers from all thirteen squads coming to him for advice, when he was available?

Once he'd given his tea enough time to cool, Jushiro propped himself up against the windowsill and brought the cup to his lips. The tea was _just_ warm enough to flow down his throat in a satisfying manner, making it perfect. Jushiro used this moment of peace away from his dearest friends in the world to relax and reflect on their journey and their futures.

It seemed almost surreal that, starting tomorrow, they would all three be official members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. To Jushiro, it felt almost as if it had only been yesterday that he had arrived at the academy, shy, awkward, and full of dreams. He remembered Shunsui walking through the door to their dorm as if he owned the whole damn school and then greeting Jushiro as if they'd been friends their entire life. Even though it had seemed odd to Jushiro at the time, looking back, he was grateful for the way Shunsui treated him.

Hell, he was grateful for _Shunsui_. Even if the brunette got on Jushiro's last nerve sometimes, he wasn't sure what he'd do without him; in fact, he would rather not think about that.

Ah, but then there was Shuriken. The smart-mouthed, stubborn beauty that had provide the dynamic to his and Shunsui's duo that neither of them realized they needed. Jushiro was beyond thankful for her friendship, because in Shuriken, he found comfort in all the ways Shunsui couldn't provide.

"I wonder," Jushiro's voice was quiet, akin to a whisper. His mind lingered on Shunsui and Shuriken, and the bond that the two shared with one another. It made his heart ache truthfully, and in a rare instance, Jushiro found himself growing jealous. Jushiro hated feeling that way, especially about two of the people he cared most for, but he couldn't help himself. Even though neither Shunsui nor Shuriken had admitted it to each other, the two were in love; they had been for years. "Will I ever find someone like that? Someone that cares so much for me, just because I'm me?"

He wanted a family, one as large as the one he'd grown up in. Although Jushiro had aged from the time that he, Shunsui, and Shuriken had talked about their dreams for the future, his plan had remained the same. He wanted a loving husband and several happy, healthy children that would grow up to be whatever it was that they wanted to be. If they wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a Soul Reaper, so be it; if not, Jushiro would gladly support them in whatever career they chose.

The cup in Jushiro's pale hands began to tremble as his hands shook against his will. Tears had begun to swell in the white-haired man's dark green eyes, no matter how hard he tried to fight them off. It was silly to get all worked up about such a thing, but Jushiro blamed it on the overflow of emotions that had come with graduating the academy. He knew better than to cry, especially when Shunsui and Shuriken were so close by.

Jushiro didn't completely break down and fall into a sobbing mess in the middle of Shuriken's kitchen floor, but several tears did slide down his soft, defined cheeks. They fell silently, despite Jushiro's quivering lip and unsteady hands. _You're a_ captain, _Jushiro. You must be stronger than that if you are ever to lead your subordinates both in and out of battle._

He gave himself a couple of minutes to settle down before drying his eyes and finishing off the rest of his tea. It had begun to turn cold by the time he resumed drinking it, but Jushiro didn't mind; he felt as though even the tea had been telling him to stop wasting his tears on such insignificant matters.

When Jushiro eventually returned to the living room where Shunsui and Shuriken had remained, he was rather surprised to see that the two had both fallen asleep. He'd not been gone that long, had he? Shunsui lied on the floor on his stomach, with the bottle of sake that they had been sharing trapped snugly under his right arm. Shuriken, on the other hand, had slouched over on her couch in a sitting position; she looked as if she was about to fall into the floor, so Jushiro went over to her first.

Being the kind man that he was, Jushiro fixed the way that Shuriken slept on the couch – making it to where she lied horizontally, with her head at one end and her feet at the other – before placing a blanket over her. There was no chance of changing Shunsui's position, so Jushiro opted to simply give him a blanket at call it a day.

 _How could I ever feel such horrible feelings for them, such as jealousy? I can't believe how selfish I've been_. Jushiro couldn't help but smile as he stood back and looked at his sleeping friends in their peaceful state. He loved them with his entire heart.

Even though their futures would be leading Jushiro and his friends down separate paths, they were all working towards the same goal of making sure the Soul Society and the World of the Living were as safe as they possibly could be. From that point on, they were trusted protectors of not only their peers, but those that couldn't defend themselves.

No matter how rare times like this became, Jushiro knew that he, Shunsui, and Shuriken would always find a way back to each other; the strings of fate that connected those three were far too strong for anything, even busy schedules, to break.


	6. 'bonds'

The one thing that Shuriken learned the fastest about the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was that things were a _lot_ different there than they were in the Soul Reaper Academy.

It wasn't that she had expected things to be identical, because that would've just been foolish. Shuriken was a smart young woman and she was aware of the changes that would come with her graduation from the academy – or at least, she _thought_ that she was.

The academy didn't prepare her for the _painfully_ long list of tasks that would come with her fifth seat position. It didn't prepare her for the lectures from Lieutenant Sasakibe about the maintenance of the barracks, or what she was supposed to do whenever one of their subordinates got out of line.

Most of all, Shuriken wasn't prepared to feel so at home in the First Division – to feel as if she had finally found a family again.

She loved Shunsui and Jushiro dearly, but the bond that she soon began to develop with Yamamoto and Sasakibe was something that she had so desperately needed. It was a need in her soul that, unfortunately, her two best friends couldn't satisfy.

When entering the First, Shuriken had admired Yamamoto, that much was apparent. However, the more time she spent under the old man, the more she came to love him. It really had begun to feel as if Shuriken had a father again, and that wasn't to put Tahara down in any way. Tahara had been a wonderful dad and Shuriken missed him every day, but Yamamoto provided the fatherly support that Shuriken needed. He kept her in line, he praised her when she deserved it, and if she struggled, Yamamoto aided her. Yamamoto had always had a soft spot for Shuriken – as well as Shunsui and Jushiro, for that matter – but that spot only grew when the two worked together on a daily basis.

Then, there was Sasakibe, the loyal lieutenant who spent most of his day close to Yamamoto's side. Shuriken's bond with him hadn't come automatically, mainly due to the fact that, for the longest time, seeing him brought back memories of the day she lost her family. When she saw his face, Shuriken could only think of the sympathetic way he looked at and spoke to her as he helped her gather her belongings.

\- - -

"Fifth Seat Natazaki, would you mind coming into my office for a moment?"

Shuriken's first reaction to hearing her lieutenant's voice was dread. She had just finished making herself a bowl of soup for lunch when he called from the door to the cafeteria. _What did I do?_ As if reading Shuriken's mind, Sasakibe added, "You're not in trouble, and you're welcome to bring your soup."

Although Shuriken wasn't fond of the idea of having to have a word with the older man, she took her bowl and followed him to his room without a single complaint. She hadn't been in the First for more than a month at this point, and the last thing that she wanted to do was get on her _lieutenant's_ bad side, no matter how much she struggled to even _look_ at the man.

That would've been career suicide.

"What is it that you'd like to talk to me about, lieutenant?" Shuriken asked as she closed the door to his office with a smooth flick of her ankle. He nodded towards the seat across from him at his desk, and Shuriken obediently took it.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. I'd like to talk more first, so feel free to eat as I speak," _Odd, but who am I to question a lieutenant?_ Shuriken did as she was instructed once again. "In fact, you've not got to speak at all if you do not want to. I just have some things I'd like to get off my chest."

 _So I_ did _fuck up. He just didn't want me to freak out in front of the other squad members. Lovely._

It was then that Shuriken replayed each task that she had completed since the day that she joined the First Division in an attempt to figure out just _what_ she had done that was so bad that Sasakibe had to scold her like this. Did she forget to turn the lights out overnight, or maybe she hadn't cleaned the floors properly?

However, despite the overwhelming anxiety that Shuriken had begun to experience, she remained quiet. She even began to eat her soup, only to almost choke when Sasakibe started talking.

"I need to clear the air between us, Natazaki. As lieutenant and fifth seat, we must be able to communicate, and that's never going to happen as long as you still associate me with the unfortunate events that befell your family."

Right off the bat, Sasakibe hit her where it hurt. Shuriken knew better than to be so sensitive, she was a _Soul Reaper now goddammit_ , but even several years later, that was a wound just as fresh as ever.

"Lieutenant, I-" Shuriken tried to speak after clearing her throat and removing the bits of lunch that had nearly killed her, but Sasakibe stopped her with a single raised hand.

"Please, allow me to speak before you object," For not the first time since she had entered his office, Shuriken dropped her gaze from Sasakibe and back to the meal in front of her. "There's no need for you to deny this, because I know that I am correct; I do not blame you for the way that you feel. It is something that we must discuss though, so that we are able to move past it."

Shuriken continued to pick at her soup as she listened to her supervisor, paying careful attention to the words that he spoke. Sasakibe made valid points, no matter how difficult it was to think of the subject matter.

"Natazaki Tahara was the Seventh Seat of Squad One, though he joined us originally as our tenth seat; you never knew that, did you?" Sasakibe noticed the look of surprise that came to Shuriken's face when he mentioned her father's rank. "Before you begin to doubt your own abilities, know that I held Tahara with nothing but the highest respect. However, you have earned your position and I can say with the utmost confidence that he would be proud to see you surpass him so early on in your career."

 _Father..._ Though Shuriken remained silent, tears had begun to swell in her eyes. She wouldn't let herself break down in front of Sasakibe; not ever again.

"Tahara was an amazing Soul Reaper, though I'm afraid that our interactions were limited. When we did speak, though, he couldn't help but mention the four beautiful beings that he left behind each day; his wife and his children," Truthfully, Shuriken would have preferred the lieutenant slice her heart out with his zanpakuto. It would have hurt less. "It was you especially that he spoke highly of," Sasakibe paused for a moment, briefly hesitating, before he added, "I was the one that sent him home early the day that everything happened. He... wanted to be there for you when you returned from orientation, since he hadn't been able to accompany you to it."

As tears flowed quietly down Shuriken's cheeks, Sasakibe allowed silence to fall over them for a few minutes. The young woman had to work through her emotions herself, and the way that she kept most of her composure impressed him. Yamamoto had kept Sasakibe updated with Shuriken's progression as she went through the academy but compared to how fragile and vulnerable she had been all those years ago, it was impossible for Sasakibe to not be proud of her.

"You've put a lot of stress on yourself to live up to your family name, Natazaki, but it was easier on you when there wasn't a constant reminder of your past. Now that I am here, you think back to that day every time you see my face," Sasakibe noticed when Shuriken raised her head to look at him that she had bit her bottom lip so hard that it had begun to bleed. "I spoke to the head captain and he told me that you're fond of sparring. You're most comfortable with your sword in your grasp, are you not?"

Shuriken nodded slowly as she looked into Sasakibe's pupil-less eyes. Despite the concerns of her zanpakuto spirit, who _despised_ Shuriken inserting herself into combat when it wasn't necessary, she loved to fight. Killing wasn't something Shuriken was fond of, but the thrill of a good fight was too satisfying for her to give up.

"Finish your meal, fifth seat, and then you and I are going to spar. We'll let our swords speak the words that are too difficult for ourselves to say," Sasakibe's typically flat lips tugged upwards just slightly into a smile and Shuriken soon found herself doing the same.

-

The sun had begun to set as Shuriken and Sasakibe wrapped up at the Squad One training grounds. After the hours that the two had sparred, all previous tensions that had been between them seemed to be long-gone. Even if Shuriken hadn't completely opened up to her lieutenant at that point, they had definitely made some serious progress with one another. That, they were both grateful for.

"I see now why the old man has always held you with such regard," Shuriken's reference to Yamamoto made Sasakibe's eye twitch, but otherwise he seemed pleased by her words. "You're very fitting of your position in our division, sir."

"You have no reason not to be proud of yourself, Natazaki," Sasakibe complimented her. "For someone your age, you're quite skilled with a zanpakuto."

Shuriken's face lit up with delight. "Umi no Okami is a wonderful blade and I'm grateful for him each and every day." Sasakibe nodded in acknowledgement.

"I must say though, your kido needs improvement," Shuriken had never heard that before."However, as long as you continue to train and push yourself as you have been, I believe that you can go anywhere you want in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

For the first time, Shuriken took a long, hard look at her lieutenant. She didn't shy away from him due to events beyond his control, nor did she hesitate to give him a grin. Sasakibe's words meant a lot to Shuriken; in fact, she'd recall them every time that she felt overwhelmed for many years to come.

"Thank you, lieutenant," Shuriken wiped sweat from her brow with her left arm before extending her right hand out towards the older man. The look on her face told Sasakibe all he needed to know; their relationship would be A-Okay, all in due time. "And can I tell you something before we part ways tonight?"

"Of course, Natazaki," Sasakibe said, his voice hiding his curiosity as he shook her hand. "What is it?"

"If you're going to look out for me so much, at least call me Shuriken," She chuckled softly. There was no trace of disrespect in her tone nor her words. "Sometimes, anyway."

The man opened his mouth to protest her initially, but he soon closed it and gave a closed-lip chuckle. She amused him.

"I can do that, Shuriken."

"Thank you."

Sasakibe watched Shuriken as she left the field before popping his back and smiling to himself as he watched the sun fully set over the hill.

 _There's never going to be a dull moment with this girl around, is there, Genryusai? She's got a lot more spunk than Tahara, that's for sure_.

\- - -

After that day, Shuriken and Sasakibe had begun to develop a bond that would strengthen drastically over the years. Where Yamamoto had become a father to Shuriken, Sasakibe had become a brother. Over time, Shuriken realized that although her and Sasakibe's personalities were vastly different, their values were similar. They would clash on occasions, but the respect and adoration that they had for one another was undeniable.

For as much as Shuriken loved her First Division family, it was hard on her to not see her best friends on a daily basis as she had been able to do for several years straight. There would come times were she, Shunsui, and Jushiro, wouldn't be able to meet up as a group more than once a month, and it broke her heart. They would see each other individually roughly once a week but finding time when they were all free and could go out to dinner or something rare; most of the time, anyway.

When our trio _did_ get the chance to meet up, they took full advantage of it. It didn't matter where it was that they went, whether it be one of their homes, a restaurant, or, in this certain case, the garden in the Thirteenth Division barracks.

Shuriken had gone to check on Jushiro after he had recovered from a rough spell the week before – as well as to share some exciting news with him – only to find that he had left the comfort of his office for the shade of the trees in his garden.

"You don't know how to take it easy, do you, captain?" Shuriken shook her head as she walked over to where the white-haired male sat with his back against one of the blooming trees. It was springtime in the Seriete, and thankfully for Jushiro it wasn't too hot out that day. A soft breeze blew through the air, gently scattering both of their hair.

"I'm afraid not," Jushiro said with a grin as his favorite gal took a seat beside of him. "'Taking it easy' just isn't in my vocabulary."

"If only you'd been born with Shunsui's lax nature instead of your hardworking one," Shuriken clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. "Oh, how different things could be."

"That's too difficult for me to imagine," Jushiro laughed just a bit, though he had to stop whenever his chest tightened up. "Dammit," He cursed softly under his breath. "I'm still not up to a hundred percent yet, as much as I'd like to pretend otherwise."

"If you didn't push yourself so hard, you wouldn't always end up in this position," Shuriken scolded. Her brows were furrowed as she spoke, and although she looked and sounded harsh, it was because she had Jushiro's best interests in mind.

"My squad needs me _here_ , not at home in bed," Jushiro protested. He knew that she was right, but when it came to his illness, Jushiro was stubborn. _Too_ stubborn. "I'm of no use to them there."

"That's not the point, Ju," Shuriken sighed. "I'm sure they'd all rather have you come back at full strength rather than pushing yourself to come back before you're ready. Now, you're just making it worse in the long run. This is all going to catch up on you sooner or later."

Jushiro pursed his lips out in a pout as he adverted his gaze from Shuriken to the fields in front of them. Why did she have to be _right_? It'd be so much easier for him to protest if she was just talking out her ass, but she wasn't. Shuriken was making valid points.

"I hate being so sick all the time," He finally spoke, an excruciating sadness in his voice. "I'm so glad that you're not burdened by something like this, Shuri. It's horrible."

Jushiro sounded pitiful and Shuriken couldn't say she blamed him. Life was always so hard on the poor captain, and the worst part was that there was no hope of things ever improving. Jushiro's condition wasn't going to disappear or get better; he'd have it for the entire rest of his life.

"I know it is," Shuriken had been rough on the man only a moment ago, but the way she sounded now was the complete opposite. She placed a hand on Jushiro's shoulder and rubbed it as he erupted into a fit of coughs. The sleeve of his captain's robe instantly shot up to cover his mouth, and when he finally pulled back, his shoulders sunk in relief.

"No blood," Jushiro said gratefully. "That's a good sign."

"Yeah," Shuriken frowned, "It's a good sign that you should just go home."

"That's not what I meant, and you-"

"I'm insulted that my two best friends decided to get together and not tell me about it. I guess that really says something about how loved I am."

Shuriken and Jushiro both turned their heads to look at Shunsui as he strolled lazily over to where they sat. In the few years that had passed since they graduated from the Soul Reaper Academy, Shunsui had grown the most physically. He was more buff now than he had been before, and his longer hair was rivaled only by the hair that had begun to grow all over his arms, legs, and chest; he'd always been hairy, sure, but now it was far more apparent.

It seemed as though every time Shuriken saw Shunsui, he was more handsome than their last encounter and she hated that. She hated the way that his mere presence caused her heart to flutter and her breath to momentarily hitch in her throat. Although she had mastered the art of hiding it – from Shunsui, at least – Shuriken still knew that it happened.

And _God_ did it aggravate her.

During their time in the academy, Shuriken had a crush on Shunsui; she had admitted this to herself and she had even begun to accept it. What she _wasn't_ willing to admit was that her crush had progressed into something more; she didn't _love_ Shunsui! He was her best friend, and the way that she felt about him was the same as how she felt about Jushiro.

At least, that was what Shuriken continued to tell herself. In her heart she knew the truth, but she was far too stubborn to admit it.

"Good afternoon, Shunsui," Jushiro greeted the dark-haired male as though he'd never spoken his dramatic words. "How are you doing?"

"I should be asking you that," Shunsui said as he flopped down on the grass between Shuriken and Jushiro. In no time at all, he had – rather comfortably – situated himself on his back with his strong arms propped up behind his head. "You feeling any better?"

"Yes, I'm-" Jushiro began to reply, but Shuriken cut him off.

"Even though there's not been any blood yet, he's been coughing since I got here a few minutes ago," She told Shunsui as she looked down at him. The two exchanged worried glances with each other before turning their gazes to Jushiro.

The pale man resembled a child who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Having Shuriken or Shunsui by themselves tell him that he needed to go home was one thing, but when they _both_ got on his case, there was no way around it.

"Ah-ah, you know better than to push yourself Jushiro," Shunsui hummed as he tilted his head to the side in order to get a better look at his friend. "If you're not feeling your best, you need to call it a day and head on home."

"I don't want to," Jushiro pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. As he rested his chin on his knees, he stared towards the beautiful scenery around them with sorrowful green eyes. "This isn't fair."

"It's not, but that doesn't mean that it isn't happening," When it came to Jushiro's illness, Shunsui was always the good cop to Shuriken's bad cop. She would grow stern with Jushiro while Shunsui never changed his tone. "You know that we're right and that you need to go home, Ju."

"Can I," Jushiro sighed. He was so tired, both physically and mentally. For the majority of the past week, he had been almost incapable of leaving his bed. Even simple tasks such as using the restroom had been a chore. "Can I just stay with the two of you a bit longer? I'll return home afterwards, I promise."

Neither Shunsui nor Shuriken liked the idea of Jushiro staying out any longer than he needed to, but, they silently confirmed with each other through quick eye contact, maybe Jushiro _needed_ some time with them first. They both felt guilty, in a way, as they hadn't been able to visit him beforehand. If he wanted to spend a little extra time with them, really, who were they to rob him of that?

"Only if you swear to me that you're not coming back until you're at a hundred percent again," Shuriken was the one to speak first.

"Yeah," Shunsui coolly added, "otherwise, we might have to get Captain Unohana on your case."

The three shuddered in unison as they imagined what it would be like for their senior to – once again – take care of Jushiro after he had made his own injuries worse. Unohana was a terrifying woman, regardless of the respect that she garnered from everyone around her. Not even Yamamoto could break Shunsui, Jushiro, and Shuriken with nothing more than a smile.

"You didn't have to bring Retsu into this," Jushiro's face had contorted into some sort of grimace. As he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper; it was as if he was afraid that, if he were too loud, Unohana would be able to hear them.

That fear, they all knew, was completely rational.

A soothing breeze once more blew through the garden as silence overtook the three dear friends. Something that Shuriken would never cease to be amazed by was how content she could be just _sitting_ with Shunsui and Jushiro; their mere presence soothed her soul. Words weren't necessary for them to have a good time; sometimes, just having each other there was enough.

"I don't mean to be sappy on you two, but there's never enough time to see you anymore," Jushiro said. He cleared his throat afterwards, creating an unpleasant, rough sound from his chest. "I miss you."

"I miss you guys, too," Shuriken told them truthfully. "You and I are on polar opposites of the Seriete, Ju," She then turned her gaze from Jushiro to Shunsui. "But you two jerks aren't nearly as far away from each other as I am. I'm isolated on the other end of the world, it feels like."

"Yeah, but it feels like we're always having to come by the First," Or was it that Shunsui just liked to make excuses to see her? "I think Yama just enjoys seeing our strapping young faces around there, and that's why he's always calling us in for captain's meetings."

"That's got to be it," Jushiro smiled in amusement. His heart ached; oh, how he wished he never had to leave these two.

"Speaking of the First," Shuriken had almost forgotten to share her news with them, which, in hindsight, she found to be extremely foolish of her. "I'll be taking my exam for fourth seat a week from tomorrow!"

"Really?" Shunsui wasn't surprised that the opportunity had presented itself to Shuriken, but he was proud. He moved so that his elbows were resting against the ground behind him and propping him up, in order to stare up at the woman beside of him with admiration. "That's amazing, Ri!"

The way Shunsui looked at her made Shuriken feel as if she were on cloud nine, and in a way, she hated that. She hated the way that, if only for a moment, she felt as if she was the most important thing in Shunsui's life. As if, _maybe_ , he didn't just view her as his friend.

 _Get your head in the right place, Shuriken. You know better than that._ Shuriken had to get past the butterflies that Shunsui had begun to give her and she knew that, she knew that so well. Shunsui was an expert at making women feel unique, and Shuriken must have become unaccustomed to his charm due to not seeing him so regularly anymore.

Besides, it was childish for her to even _consider_ romance to be an option at this point in her career. After Shuriken inevitably – she believed in herself and her abilities – obtained the fourth seat, she'd aim for third. When the time was right, she'd make her way to a lieutenant's position, and, finally, captain.

"I'd wish you luck, but I don't think you'll need it," Jushiro said, followed by a weak chuckle. The time for him to head home was drawing nearer, as much as he wanted to deny it. "You'll be ready for third seat in no time after that, I'm sure."

"Our little Ri is getting to be a grown up," Shunsui grinned as he languidly turned his head towards Jushiro. "She'll be gunning for the old man's position before we know it!"

"I'd love to overhear that conversation," Jushiro wanted to laugh so much more than he was able to. "I don't think the Head Captain would be pleased to know that his little girl is aiming for his spot."

"Ah, he could stick her on desk duty," Shunsui hummed and forced himself into a seated position. He too knew that it was getting time for Jushiro to leave, and though he didn't like it, Shunsui knew that it was for the best. "That'd be a waste of a fine young woman's talents."

"I think I'd die if I never got to leave the office," Shuriken shuddered. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to never go on missions again or to explore outside of the Seriete. "Either that, or I'd start turning into Lieutenant Sasakibe or the old man."

"Don't be putting such scary images into my head," Shunsui comically gagged. "That's the kind of stuff that nightmares are made of."

They all laughed, but as soon as Jushiro began coughing once again they knew that it was time to go. Shunsui lifted the white-haired male into his arms – despite the protests that Jushiro muttered feebly against Shunsui's chest – to carry him home.

Shunsui tried to part ways with Shuriken, but she wouldn't have it. She followed closely behind Shunsui as he flash-stepped off towards Jushiro's home, unwilling to leave her friends until she absolutely had to.

After Shunsui had taken Jushiro to his room, he met back up with Shuriken, who was waiting patiently on the porch. She wore the same look of concern that she always did whenever Jushiro had one of his episodes; it didn't matter how long she knew Jushiro, Shuriken would never grow accustomed to seeing him in such a shape.

"He's finally out," Shunsui said as he placed a hand on Shuriken's shoulder. "I keep hoping that one day he'll finally learn that his health isn't something he can take liberties with, but I fear that day will never come."

"I wish that he wasn't so stubborn," Shuriken exhaled a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "He knows when he's pushing himself too far, but that never stops him."

"Ah, but can you really blame him?" Shunsui hated to see Jushiro suffer, but he understood _why_ their friend acted as he did. "We'll never know just how much stress the poor guy is under. Being a captain isn't an easy task, and you know that it's got to be hell having to take off so much."

Shuriken didn't give a verbal response, but the way her shoulders sank and her lips pouted told Shunsui enough. The topic was a rough one, always, but only because they cared for Jushiro so much.

"Let me walk you home, Ri," Shunsui changed the subject, much to her relief. "A beautiful young lady such as yourself shouldn't be wandering around all alone at this time of night."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Shunsui, the sun hasn't even set yet! It's not late."

"Why must you always break my heart?" He moved his hand from her shoulder to his heart. Though she hated to admit it, Shuriken instantly missed his warmth. "I wish you weren't so cold."

"But if I didn't bust your ass, who would?" He loved the way she teased him, and she knew that. It was part of what made their dynamic so special.

"You know," Shunsui said as they began to walk away from Jushiro's home and towards Shuriken's. "You're more than welcome to help me bust something else-"

"I wish you had an off switch," Shuriken rolled her eyes as she playfully shoved Shunsui's upper arm. A large laugh erupted from his chest as her lips tugged into a smile.

"Out of all my buttons that you could gladly press anytime you wanted, I've got to say that's not one of them," He wrapped an arm around Shuriken's shoulders. Though Shuriken didn't lean into Shunsui, she didn't push him away, either, which was always a plus.

"That's a shame, considering that's the only one I'm interested in."

"Ow! How you hurt me, Ri."

"You'll be okay."

"Are you sure? I might die."

"Unlikely."

"You'll feel really silly whenever I die of a broken heart."

"I'll actually just be impressed that I have that kind of power."

"I can't believe how cruel you are, my dear."

"That's strange, considering I've never changed."

It was then that Shunsui pulled Shuriken closer to his side for _just_ a moment to give her a one-armed hug as they walked. Part of her wanted nothing more than to snake her arms around his sides, squeeze him in the biggest embrace, and never let go.

"I don't want you to ever change, either. I think you're pretty great as you are," Shunsui spoke from the heart, though his tone never changed from its normal, lazy drawl.

"You're pretty okay yourself," Shuriken said back. It didn't sound like much, but Shunsui knew that was her way of saying that she liked him as he was, too.

It didn't matter how busy they got, Shuriken, Shunsui, and Jushiro would always find a way back to one another. Their lives were ever-changing in the Soul Society, but their bond never weakened.

In fact, it never would.


	7. 'personal leave'

Shuriken landed back on the ground with a loud _thud!_ as waves of her own reishi scattered around her. The woman panted as she forced herself onto her knees, using her zanpakuto to help her. Burning blue eyes locked on the wolf of a similar color who stood somewhere around twenty-five feet away from her, claws outstretched and digging into the hard sand of the First Division training grounds.

"You've got to get your timing down or we'll be at this forever," Umi no Okami's voice was firm. "How serious about this _are_ you, Shuriken?"

"You know damn well I want this more than anything," Shuriken grunted as she finally made it to her feet. Her body felt as if it were infinitely heavier, due to the water that had soaked her hair and clothing. Shuriken's oceanic attacks were wonderful, when she wasn't the one receiving them. "If you didn't, you wouldn't have agreed to train me. Am I wrong, Okami?"

"That sort of arrogance will get you nowhere!" Before Shuriken could blink, her zanpakuto spirit had resumed his aggressive onslaught of waves. And, once again, Shuriken dove head-first into the attacks that she had grown so accustomed to using.

After successfully obtaining the fourth seat in Yamamoto's squad, Shuriken had been eager to push herself to even greater levels. For a period of time, she found herself uncertain of what that next step would be; she wasn't _quite_ ready for yet another promotion, but that didn't mean that she couldn't get there, right? Thus, Shuriken found herself dedicating her free time to training her combat abilities yet again. 

Somewhere along the line, it was as if something had clicked in Shuriken's mind. A switch had been flipped, a light had gone off; whatever analogy you prefer to use, _that_ was what happened for her. Shuriken realized the most logical step that she had to take was one that had been right in front of her eyes the entire time. If Shuriken _truly_ wanted to succeed as a soul reaper, to become the impressive force that would carry the Natazaki name on so victoriously, there was one thing that she needed desperately.

Bankai.

From the moment that Shuriken had first been taught what a bankai was back in the academy, she had known that it was an elite skill that took soul reapers years to master. Even then, achieving bankai was rare, and it took a certain sort of individual to even have that potential inside of them. The power of a bankai was at such a level that it had become a pre-requisite for becoming a captain, the position that Shuriken had yearned for since her youth.

Without a proper bankai, all of her dreams were as good as dead.

" _Shit_!" Shuriken cursed as Okami's waves once more swept her off her feet, tossing her across the training grounds. Instead of landing on her back as she had before, this time, Shuriken landed flat on her stomach. The woman was a mess, really, with twigs, mud, and debris clinging to her drenched shihakuso and hair. Bruises and cuts littered her body, far more than she cared to acknowledge. 

"If we continue, you'll only wind up unconscious," Okami sighed as he wrapped his tail neatly around his paws. As he looked down at his master, who was once more trying to force herself up, there was a distinct look of pity in his dark eyes. "This is over for now. You are _not_ ready for bankai, Shuriken."

The worst part of it all was that Shuriken knew that her zanpakuto spirit was right. At her current level, bankai was impossible for her to even _dream_ of. She and Okami had been doing this damned dance for a month now, and her progress had been laughable.

"Okami, _please_ ," Shuriken grunted as, on shaky elbows, she lifted herself onto her ass. Her voice was almost desperate, unfitting of the strong-willed, determined woman that she had become. "Don't give up on me."

The wolf spirit only closed his eyes and faded away, returning once more to the blade in which he rested. Before Shuriken had a chance to protest her zanpakuto's harsh rejection, an even deeper voice boomed from behind her.

"Do you not know when to quit, child?! Imagine if your father were to see you in such shape! _Begging_ the spirit of your zanpakuto to teach you bankai? You are better than that, Natazaki!"

Of course, a scolding such as that could only come from Yamamoto himself. In the time that Shuriken had been under his instruction, the man's hair had completely changed from gray to white, and what little had remained on his head over the years had since left him. His beard was even more impressive now, and Shuriken couldn't help but wonder how much longer it would become in time.

Though now was certainly a time that such thoughts were the last things on Shuriken's mind, as she found herself too embarrassed to even turn to face her beloved captain; the man whom she viewed as a second father.

"I guess it really is impossible to hide things from you, captain," Shuriken laughed rather shamefully as she raised the back of her wrist to her forehead, wiping away some of the filth that had become stuck there. "When did you learn that I _wasn't_ just training by myself out here for the hell of it?"

"From the moment you began," Yamamoto sighed. Though her gaze remained locked on her zanpakuto that laid on the ground in front of her, Shuriken could hear the footsteps of the old man growing closer and closer to her. "I had hoped you were smart enough to know your own limits. It seems as though that is a foolish trait you share with Captain Ukitake."

 _Ouch_. _I'm not_ that _bad, am I?_ She most definitely was.

"I'm sorry, captain," If Shuriken's head hadn't been aimed towards the ground before, it certainly was now. "I overestimated myself. I thought I was ready, that I could handle it, that I-"

"When is the last time that you focused on something other than training?!" Shuriken couldn't help but wince at the volume of Yamamoto's voice, which came from right beside of her. "Is it any wonder that your work yields such lackluster results, when your mind and body are so battered?!"

The shock of Yamamoto's words was enough to cause Shuriken's head to dart up towards Yamamoto, bewilderment plastered on her face. "Excuse me?!"

"Do not begin to question me, Natazaki!" Shuriken could be loud, but Yamamoto was _always_ louder. "Your Umi no Okami took it easy on you, out of respect. I have no need for such formalities!" Fair enough, she supposed. "I placed faith in you, fourth seat, but it seems that such a thing was misplaced."

"H-Hey!" Shuriken spoke frantically as she tried her damnedest to rush herself to her feet. As expected, such a feat was _not_ easy for her in her current state, and she wound up stumbling while trying to negotiate with Yamamoto. "I assure you, I am _one-hundred percent_ qualified for my position-"

"Until further notice, Natazaki Shuriken," Yamamoto completely disregarded Shuriken's protests. The way that she so pitifully tried to stand only furthered his own point. "I place you on suspension!"

With one leg kneeling on the ground and the other trying to push herself upwards, Shuriken froze. "S-Suspension?! Sir, please-"

"May these next couple of weeks give you enough time to clear your head and give your body the rest it desires!" Yamamoto turned to make his exit, though he continued to speak as he walked. "If you even _think_ of swinging a sword, I will not hesitate to extend your suspension," Sparing one last glance at the dejected woman over his shoulder, Yamamoto added, "Do not waste this time I am giving you, Shuriken."

As Yamamoto left the training grounds, Shuriken dropped onto her back and, with most of her remaining energy, she let out a frustrated yell. The older man was doing what was best for her, even if Shuriken didn't necessarily see it at that moment. Despite the rigid, lawful environment of the First Division, Yamamoto cared deeply for those that were a part of it.

This adoration extended particularly far in the case of his lieutenant and the navy-haired woman that had dedicated her entire being to their division. While Shuriken's commitment to Yamamoto, Sasakibe, and Squad One was certainly admirable, she was in desperate need of a lesson on self-care.

Ah, but lessons like that weren't always the easiest to learn.

\- - -

"... and can you believe that?! Treating me like I'm some sort of... some sort of _kid_! Dumbest thing I've ever heard," Shuriken's drunken ramble was eaten up by the man who sat across from her at her table, a man whose name she was not quite sure of nor was she particularly sure _when_ he had joined her. He was easy on the eyes, though, and willing to listen to whatever bullshit she happened to spew from her mouth.

"I can't believe he'd do that to you, baby," The man wasn't even sure _who_ Shuriken was complaining about, nor did he know who _she_ was, but it wasn't as if he particularly cared, either. On this fourth day of Shuriken's suspension, she had trekked out to this bar with the same intentions as she had the day before.

And the day before that. And even the day before that.

"He's such a _jerk_! Who does he think he is, my _father_?!" Shuriken's brows furrowed as she picked up her glass and downed the sake that filled it. Though the alcohol burned her throat, the familiar buzz that it coursed through her body comforted her.

"I, uh," The man cleared his throat as he stared at Shuriken with obvious confusion. "I don't know, is he?"

" _No_!" Shuriken released an exasperated sigh as she slid down in her seat. She was now, essentially, in the floor of this fine establishment. "He's not. He's not, but _oh_ , he sure likes to act like he is."

"Uh-huh," Her suitor nodded along, but he now found himself even more lost than ever. "Say, why don't we just-"

"I thought I heard that angelic voice over here," Shunsui hummed as he and Jushiro approached Shuriken's table. "Is this where you've been sinking off to every day, Ri?"

"You're not as easy to track down as you once were, Shuri," Jushiro added, looking down at the woman with a saddened gleam in his handsome green eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait," The man who had been so eager to take Shuriken home was now rushing to his feet. "I-I didn't know you were associated with captains."

"What's it matter?" Shuriken huffed, like the child she denied being, as she hoisted herself back up into a seated position. Her gaze had dropped to the empty glass in front of her, watching absentmindedly as she trailed a finger around its rim. "They're probably just here to tell me to get my head out of my ass, like I've not heard that a million times from my zanpakuto."

"O-Oh, this is great," The man muttered, obviously embarrassed. He bowed to Shunsui and Jushiro while reaching into his pocket. After dropping a wad of money on the table to pay for the drinks that he and Shuriken had consumed, the man fled, apologizing for treating a soul reaper so poorly as he left.

"Hi, guys," Shuriken greeted dryly. One look at the woman told her friends everything that they needed to know; she was _far_ too intoxicated for her own good.

"Yeah, we're taking you home," Paying no mind to the curious, judgmental stares that followed them, Shunsui hoisted Shuriken up into his arms. He ignored her drunken protests while removing her from the bar, while Jushiro made sure that her tab was paid - or rather, that the man she'd been with had properly covered everything - before apologizing to the other patrons for disturbing their evenings. 

The road to Shuriken's house wasn't a long one, but by the time they arrived, the woman had - more or less - tuckered herself out. While she had initially tried to struggle out of Shunsui's arms, something she couldn't have done while stone-cold sober, it didn't take long for Shuriken to doze off in his hold.

\- - -

For not the first time since her suspension, Shuriken awoke with a pounding head and a pain in her heart. As she blinked her eyes open, even in the dark, moonlit room, she could tell that she was in her own home. A careless toss of her arm to the apparently empty space beside of her told Shuriken that she was alone, and that whoever she had brought home with her - her memory was far too hazy to remember such specifics - was gone. It was better that way, she was sure. If she couldn't remember their face, they mustn't have made much of an impact on her.

However, as Shuriken sat up in bed, she was rather confused to find herself fully dressed and, upon patting herself down, without a single rip or tear in her clothes.

To further investigate, Shuriken slowly made her way out of her bedroom and down her flight of stairs, towards her living room. Over the time she had spent as a soul reaper, most of Shuriken's funds had gone into building her dream home. She had no children, obviously, and when she went out with Shunsui and Jushiro it wasn't often that Shuriken spent a large chunk of change. Thus, what she didn't save usually went into her living space.

It wasn't perfect, not yet, but she had completed the top floor earlier the year before and that was where she had moved her bedroom. Shuriken's home would become far more extravagant later on, but for now, it was a humble, two-floor abode with more than enough room to accommodate Shuriken and her zanpakuto.

Shuriken had made it halfway down the stairs when she noticed Shunsui's sleeping form on the futon down below. Although she tried to slowly sneak her way back upstairs, the man certainly wasn't as light a sleeper as one would imagine.

"Don't even try it, Ri," Though Shunsui's voice was on the sleepy side, there was a scolding undertone to it that Shuriken didn't enjoy. "We need to talk, little lady."

Would it be worth it to run? Probably not, considering that not only was she hungover, her foe would be _Shunsui_. On a good day, Shuriken was fast and nimble, sure, but even then, she wasn't a match for him. Could she possibly fake sleep walking? Perhaps that could-

"Come on, now. Don't make this any harder than it has to be," Shunsui wasn't leaving her any room to protest. Thus, with a loud groan, Shuriken sulked her way downstairs and into the company of her dearest friend. Shunsui had risen to a seated position now, and as Shuriken sat on the floor across from him, he ran a hand across his cheek while trying to wake himself up more. "So, you mind telling me what you've been up to the past few days? Why _you've_ been out of work?"

"What, are you here to scold me?" Shuriken scoffed, her lips turning into a frown. "You think I _want_ to be spending time on my ass, being absolutely _useless_?"

"The old man told me that you were taking some personal time," Shunsui folded one leg across the opposite knee, then rested his elbow on top of it. "That itself was rather puzzling, because in all the time I've known you, I've never once seen you even _consider_ doing such a thing," As he continued to speak, Shuriken brought her own knees to her chest. "Best I could tell, you'd just gone missing, so I do the only natural thing and go to Jushiro. Turns out he hasn't seen you either, and got fed the same kind of bullshit from Yama."

Much to Shuriken's chagrin, Shunsui continued his little story. "When we finally find you, you're drunk off your ass to the point that you can barely sit up straight. Worst of all, you've got a guy sitting with you and it looks like he's going to jump you at the first opportunity he gets!"

"I'm a grown woman, Shunsui. I can handle myself," Shuriken closed her eyes as she leaned forward, placing a cheek against her knee. "You can't try and talk me out of a lifestyle that has worked so well for you so far."

"That's not the point," Shunsui sighed. "I wish you wouldn't act as though _I'm_ in the wrong for being worried about you, when you're the one that's acting like a child."

Though Shunsui hadn't raised his voice, his words cut through Shuriken like a knife. Her head pounded painfully and his disappointed tone didn't help matters at all. "You want to know the truth?" Perhaps _then_ he would allow her to rest. "I feel like a failure. A disgrace. Like I'm unfit for the position I've been given."

Shuriken's tone was so blunt and self-loathing that Shunsui almost didn't register that it had come from _her_ instead of someone else. How long had it been since Shuriken had doubted herself, he wondered? She certainly hadn't said anything that would imply such feelings to him anytime recently, not in the past few decades - at least, not that he could recall.

"Get out of here," Shunsui shook his head. "What's _really_ going on in that head of yours?"

"I'm serious, Shun," And if Shuriken's words didn't get the point across, her inflection did. "I train and I train and I train and it still feels like I'm going no where. After all this time, I'm _nowhere_ near the level I want to be," She gave a pitiful laugh. "My bankai training was a total bust, you know that?"

"No, I didn't," So _that's_ what all of this was about. Now that he had a better idea of just what it was that had Shuriken in a tizzy, Shunsui was more confident about how to handle the situation. "I had no idea you were even _trying_ for bankai."

Shuriken grew quiet for some time after that, to the point that Shunsui had begun to wonder if she had fallen asleep. However, before he had a chance to move and check on her, Shuriken moved so that her chin rested a top of her knees. Her eyes were a little on the clouded side, but they stared up at him steadily.

"Saying that I've been on personal leave is a joke. The head captain suspended me because he caught me getting my ass handed to me by Okami," Shuriken finally admitted. While her stubbornness could be endearing at times, it also succeeded in making it rather difficult for her to admit her faults. "It didn't matter how hard I tried, I just kept failing. He compared me to Jushiro, if you can believe that, because I kept pushing myself past my limits," The smile that she momentarily cracked brought a warmth back into Shunsui's heart. "Supposedly."

"You're quite the tricky one to deal with, my dear," Shunsui hummed as he tilted his head to one side while staring down at her. "Because while I'm completely confident in your abilities and I know you'll get to where you want to be one day, I also can't condone you battering yourself to a pulp. It must've been pretty bad for the old man to go as far as suspending you, though."

Though her mind told Shuriken to protest, her heart knew that Shunsui was right. He was right at this moment just as Yamamoto had been right when he had suspended her in the first place. Simply telling Shuriken to take time off wouldn't have worked; the only way to _really_ get through to her was to force her hand.

"I just want to be so much more than I am," Shuriken's voice was quiet but steady. "To reach the goals that I've set for myself. To help that old jerk that sent me home in the first place," _To make_ them _proud_. She thought to herself, referring to the parents and siblings that had been taken away from her. "I hate feeling this way, like I'm useless. Sitting at home has made things even worse."

"It's very unlikely that he meant you had to stay _completely_ away from work, you know," Shunsui spoke as he leaned back on the futon, fingers lazily scratching at his beard. "I personally don't see why there would be any problems with you, say, sitting around in a different division during the day?"

"If your work doesn't get done, I'm going to have more than just the old man after my neck," Shuriken shook her head as she straightened up. Without even realizing it, she had begun to loosen up again; Shunsui had that effect on her. "There's no way I'm dealing with your lieutenant's wrath again. Not after you made me fend for myself last time."

"Ah, come on, Lisa's lectures build character!" Shunsui laughed. During the event in question, Shunsui had skipped out on his ever-growing stack of work - something that Shuriken had been foolish enough to believe he had _actually_ finished - and, conveniently, he had managed to disappear when Lisa arrived to haul him back to the office.

"Character my ass!" Shuriken's unintentional exclamation was far too loud for her own good, and she instantly regretted it. With a groan, the woman fell over with her hands tightly gripping her throbbing noggin.

"I know you're not this much of an amateur with hangovers, Ri," Shunsui was quite visibly amused, as for the first time in his memory, Shuriken was hungover and _he_ wasn't. "I hope you're not just using this as an excuse to get out of us discussing your horrible coping mechanisms and your inability to properly judge your own limits."

"I can't hear you over the sound of my own pain," So she _was_ using it as an excuse.

"That kind of line might work on the men you bring home, but I know you better than that," He teased her, as if jealousy didn't flare within him every time he saw Shuriken with another fellow.

"Are you still talking? All I hear is a droning murmur."

"Ouch. Is that all I am to you?"

"I think I see the heavenly lights. Farewell, cruel world."

"... And they say _I'm_ dramatic."

\- - -

The rest of Shuriken's suspension was _not_ spent in the Eighth Division, despite Shunsui's pleas; instead, she aided Jushiro in the Thirteenth where she was far more comfortable and the threat of Lisa's violence was almost nonexistent. By the time all was said and done and Shuriken was able to return to her office in the First, though it had been only a couple of weeks, she felt as though she had learned a lot.

Not only was Shuriken's body _ridiculously_ worn out, as the old man had said, and in dire need of a recharge, a piece of her soul had been refreshed as well. While the time with Jushiro - and Shunsui as well, when he had reared his handsome head - had been wonderful in the sense that it had helped Shuriken find a part of her that she hadn't realized was missing, it also made one thing painfully clear to her.

While the idea of climbing the ranks and leading her own division was a wonderful dream to have, it wasn't really what Shuriken wanted to do. Jushiro allowed her to have just enough of a taste of complete leadership in his squad for Shuriken to realize just how much she missed the old man that she admired so greatly. 

As a young student, Shuriken had wanted nothing more than to reach the position of captain or lieutenant; now, as a seasoned woman who had given her all to the First for so many years, she genuinely couldn't imagine herself anywhere else. If she wasn't directly serving Yamamoto, what was the point? 

While walking back into Yamamoto's office on her first day back, Shuriken greeted the older man with the humbled respect that had always been there, no matter how burnt out she had been only a short time ago. Her body and mind both cleansed of the troublesome thoughts that had begun to plague her, Shuriken was ready to return to the top where she belonged.

And though he _obviously_ wasn't one to brag, Yamamoto had to admit that he had made the right choice in suspending his prized pupil. Sometimes, the toughest choices were the only reasonable ones to make.


	8. 'all good things'

With the help of those around her, Shuriken began to - slowly but surely - release the grip on her training schedule that had held her together for so long. It was initially quite the surprise to the woman, but when she _wasn't_ pushing herself far further than she could physically handle, her results were far superior. It had taken quite a bit of time, but Shuriken soon found the perfect balance of work, training, and relaxation that she had needed from the get-go. Of course, it was impossible for the woman to relax _too_ much. That just wasn't in her nature.

Upon finally obtaining the third seat position that Shuriken decided was meant for her, the woman was very pleased with herself. Whatever funk she had gotten herself in had passed and she was able to fully devote herself to being the elite soul reaper that she knew she was destined to be.

"I believe that is enough for the day," Sasakibe spoke as he sheathed his Gonryomaru. Shuriken looked up at her lieutenant with a nod, following his lead and returning her own blade to its case. "If you continue making this sort of progress, you'll have achieved your bankai before you know it. However, I do believe we've just about reached the limit of help I can provide to you," He said thoughtfully while walking closer to the woman. "We might have two, possibly three, more sessions of benefit."

"Thank you again for everything, lieutenant," Shuriken gave Sasakibe a grateful smile as he reached her side. Together, they began walking out of the First Division's training grounds and back towards the barracks. "I know you'd rather not acknowledge your own bankai, so it means a lot to me that you're helping me with my own."

Sasakibe merely hummed in response, so as to neither verbally confirm nor deny the existence of his bankai. Though he had mastered the technique long ago, before she, Shunsui, or Jushiro had even _considered_ such a thing, Sasakibe kept all of his knowledge of such a thing to himself. After all, were one to be a known bankai user, the pressure from others would be outrageous; Sasakibe would surely be thrust into a position he did not desire if his peers were to know of his true strength.

Because of his adoration for Yamamoto, Sasakibe was adamant about appearing less dangerous than he was. He made it a point to seem of lesser strength than even his fellow lieutenants, to keep all focus off himself and onto the captain that he and Shuriken both served so loyally.

Had Shuriken not been told of Sasakibe's bankai from Yamamoto himself, though a _large_ amount of discretion was advised, it was likely that she wouldn't have believed that he possessed such skills. Not that she doubted his abilities, but due to the convincing persona Sasakibe portrayed in front of others. As Shuriken had come to learn over the years, there was so much more to the first lieutenant than met the eye.

"Say, do you want to join us for dinner tonight?" Shuriken asked, angling her head so that she could look up just a bit at the silver-haired male. The 'us' that she was referring to, obviously, included her two oldest friends. "I'm sure Shun and Ju wouldn't mind too much."

Rather, Jushiro wouldn't have any complaints and Shunsui would deal with it for her sake; not because he had any issues with Sasakibe, but because he would worry about anything he said being sent back to Yamamoto. It went without saying that the two captains had no connection with Shuriken's lieutenant - why would they when they rarely see, let alone _speak_ , to him? - but they appreciated the way that he and Shuriken got along.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass," Sasakibe cracked a smile down at Shuriken; a gesture that was rare for him, though not necessarily in her presence. The brother-sister bond that they had developed was vastly different from the relationship they had when Shuriken first joined their division, when she couldn't even look at the man without overwhelming sadness filling her soul.

"Ah, I see," Shuriken smirked as she nudged Sasakibe. "You've just got a big date tonight and you don't want us cramping your style, right? Did you finally find you a nice little lady who loves Western culture as much as you do?" She then gave a thoughtful hum as her arms crossed under her chest. "That's probably impossible, though..." Shuriken muttered.

"I'll be doing nothing of the sort," Sasakibe shook his head, stifling a sigh. "But is it really _that_ out of the question that I could find someone some day?" He asked, as if he _actually_ had concern with such matters. No, the first lieutenant was even _more_ concerned with work than the woman beside of him was.

"I mean," Shuriken snickered, "I was actually just referring to you finding someone who loves Western culture as much as you do, since it's basically your bread and butter, but it's no wonder you can't find love with that attitude."

"... I suppose I did put my foot in my mouth with that statement, didn't I?" Sasakibe gave a soft chuckle, which led to Shuriken laughing as well. Shuriken knew as well as Sasakibe did that romance was one of the last things on his mind, but that didn't make it any less fun to tease him about it; especially when Shuriken's own love life was so lackluster.

She really _had_ tried to find 'the one,' but as Shuriken soon realized, that wasn't as easy as it might have sounded. One contributing factor was certainly her typically poor taste in men, but the far larger problem was the lack of satisfaction that she received from them. Shuriken knew, in the pits of her heart, that there was _no one_ that would be able to give her the love, happiness, and affection that she craved.

No one, except for the one man that she had fallen so deeply in love with despite the barriers that she had put around herself. The one person that she had tried so hard _not_ to relinquish her heart to, regardless of the ways that he had so easily slipped into it.

There was never any doubt who that man was, was there? Of course it was Shunsui. It had always _been_ Shunsui.

By the time that Yamamoto's trusted subordinates had split ways for the day, Shunsui and Jushiro had arrived at Shuriken's office to wait for her. Shuriken slid open her door to find Shunsui lazing comfortably at her desk, while Jushiro rested against a nearby wall. The white-haired male turned to look at Shuriken as she entered, but Shunsui didn't move an inch.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, guys," Shuriken apologized as she quickly looked from her friends to the clock on the wall. "Time must've gotten away from us," She shook her head, feeling a cool breeze sweep across her sweaty forehead as she did so. "We plan to go out and here I am, late, and looking like a total mess."

"You worry too much, Shuri," Jushiro waved a hand dismissively. "If it wouldn't be a problem, we could just have dinner at your place?" He suggested, giving her one of his warmest, most Jushiro smiles. "That way you've got time to clean yourself up, but we've not got to worry about being late."

"Are you sure?" Shuriken questioned. She favored that idea, as she _desperately_ needed a shower, but she still felt bad about changing plans on them. "If you guys would just rather head on out, I can just meet up with you later."

"Where would be the fun in that?" Shunsui said as he pushed himself onto his feet with ease. "It's not every day that we get the joy of being accompanied by our lovely third. Besides, you've not shown us that nice new kitchen that you seem to be so proud of, and I'm sure you could make us one hell of a meal in it."

"I agree," Jushiro nodded, excitement shining in his eyes. "It's been too long since I've had any of your cooking, Shuri."

How was she supposed to say no, with the two of them looking at her like eager little pups? Even Shuriken couldn't be _that_ rude. Disagreeing with them wouldn't do her any good, either, as once Jushiro and Shunsui teamed up, there was no getting past them.

"All right," She conceded, motioning with a subtle nod of her head for the men to follow her. "If you insist. Just be figuring out what you guys want to eat on the way there, okay?"

"That's a tough task, but I think we're up to the job," Shunsui chuckled as he looked to Jushiro. "Don't you?"

"I think we'll find a way," Jushiro said in amusement. "Although, I'd say this task is a bit out of our skill level."

"Completely," Shunsui nodded, unable to keep the glee from his face. There was nothing in the world that provided him the sort of happiness that being in the company of Shuriken and Jushiro gave him. "Maybe we should pass it off to Old Man Yama?"

"Perhaps," Jushiro's tone was playfully thoughtful. "Or, should we pass it off to Kirio? It might be a task more befitting of the Royal Guard."

"Hey, wait a minute," Shuriken pouted as she looked to the men who now walked beside of her. "The Royal Guard? Is that where they're sending her?"

"Jeez, didn't the old man tell you?" Shunsui asked in surprise as he tipped his hat back. "I thought you two shared everything," He paused. "Well, maybe not _everything_. I don't think he'd be too interested in hearing about-"

"No, he didn't tell me anything about it," Shuriken shook her head, interrupting Shunsui's inappropriate train of thought. How had Yamamoto been willing to tell her about Sasakibe's bankai, one of _the_ biggest secrets in the Soul Society, but not about Hikifune's promotion? "I had just assumed that she'd been relocated, but overall, things have been kind of quiet about her. She's not left yet, has she?"

"Not yet, no," Jushiro's reply comforted Shuriken, because it meant that she wasn't _completely_ out of the loop. "Do you know how the hunt for her successor has been going?"

"I know he's been asking for recommendations around a lot lately, but as far as I know, nothing has been decided on yet," Shuriken had seen Yamamoto shifting through several pages of recommendations a few days before. "Oh! A couple of days ago I heard him grumbling to himself about it, so I guess someone really pissed him off."

"Ah, if only you'd mastered your bankai already," Shunsui sighed whimsically as he draped an arm across the smaller woman's shoulders. "I'm sure no one would complain about having you as their captain."

"I'll pass," Shuriken shook her head, doing her best to ignore the way that Shunsui's touch sent a chill down her spine. "You know that's not my goal anymore. I'm quite happy where I am, thank you."

"I'd still be more than happy to have you as my lieutenant, if you're ever willing to leave Head Captain's side," Jushiro interjected, leaning forward a bit as he walked so that he could properly look at Shuriken as he spoke to her.

"Your search is still going that bad, huh?" Shuriken's brows furrowed as she sent Jushiro a sympathetic smile. "Do you at least have anyone in mind?"

"Well, there is _one_ man that I've been thinking greatly about," Jushiro said thoughtfully as his gaze returned to the path ahead of them. He was oblivious to the mischievous way that Shunsui and Shuriken both stared at him. "He's a wonderful soul reaper and I believe that he would be the best fit for my division. Well, aside from _you_ , Shuri," He added, only then turning to see his friend's eyes on him in a way he didn't enjoy. "What?"

"Has little Jushiro finally found himself a love interest?" Shunsui grinned widely as he removed his arm from around Shuriken's shoulder - much to her chagrin - and instead tossed the other over Jushiro's. As Jushiro had yet to make his sexuality publicly known, Shunsui made sure to speak in a way that left his dear pal's preference ambiguous. "My, I never thought that _you_ would find someone before Ri!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Shuriken's eye twitched as she shot a glare towards Shunsui.

"Oh, nothing," Shunsui said innocently as he placed a hand on Jushiro's nearest shoulder. "I just don't see you settling down anytime soon, that's all."

"Like you're one to talk!" Shuriken retorted. It wasn't as if she _intentionally_ sabotaged her own love life. However, not wanting to take the attention away from Jushiro, she soon moved away from Shunsui so that they could trap their slimmer friend between them as they walked. "So, who have you got in mind, Ju?"

"You're both completely out of line," Jushiro sighed as he raised one hand towards his face. Two slender fingers pinched the bridge of his nose as he quickly wracked his brain, trying to compile a sentence that would leave Shunsui and Shuriken with no room to tease him. "You should know me better than that. My interest in this candidate is purely professional."

"Uh-huh," Shunsui nodded. "That's what they all say, huh, Ri?"

"You're right," Shuriken said as she too nodded. "After all, why would he _admit_ his attraction to someone he wants on his squad so badly?"

"And the lieutenant's position is ridiculously convenient, right? All of those long hours at the office together, the shared responsibilities, ah, and lets not forget the unwavering devotion for one another," Shunsui sighed dreamily. "My Lisa would never let me live out such a fantasy."

"... I'd much rather imagine _anything_ but my captain and lieutenant like that," Shuriken gagged. She shook her head furiously to try and force out the horrible images that had come to her mind.

"You two are hopeless," Jushiro's tone was exasperated, but through it all, a smile had once more come to his face. There was just something about Shunsui and Shuriken and the way they interacted with not only each other, but Jushiro himself that brought Jushiro so much joy even in the bleakest of times. He was grateful for them, as he always would be.

-

"Shunsui!" Shuriken's voice snapped the brunette male back into consciousness, after he had drifted off on the futon in her living room. Dark gray eyes blinked languidly as a yawn escaped his lips; simultaneously, a warm, appetizing aroma began to fill his nostrils. "Come set the table, you lazy asshole!" Shuriken's teasing undertone brought a grin to his face.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?" Jushiro's voice was quieter than Shuriken's, but it grew louder as Shunsui moved closer. "I really don't mind, Shuri."

"I know, but it's the least he can do after falling asleep on us," Shuriken said. "Besides, it'll build character... Or something like that."

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Shunsui was instantly impressed. Shuriken had finally cultivated her dream kitchen, and from ceiling to floor, it looked like something straight out of a magazine; as if it were made for someone on some elaborate cooking program. It was a lot for Shunsui to take in at first, from the beautiful wooden cabinets to the granite counter tops. There was a bookshelf in one of the corners that was filled with cookbooks, most of which Shunsui knew had been written by Shuriken herself over the years.

It didn't take long for Shunsui's gaze to fall on his favorite female, though, and he noticed instantly the way that her dark blue hair rested upon her shoulders. Shuriken hadn't dried it after her shower, it seemed, and opted to let it air dry, most likely to shorten the amount of time that he and Jushiro had to wait on her. Shunsui himself hadn't stayed awake that long, as after being rejected on his offer to accompany her to the shower - _of course_ he wasn't serious, he was _never_ serious about such things with her; she'd said so herself, so that was that! - he had made himself comfortable and fallen asleep in no time.

"Where have you put your dishes in this magnificent kitchen of yours?" Though Shunsui's gaze followed Shuriken's precise, expert movements fondly, he was still rather focused on the task at hand.

"Two cabinets to the left of the sink," Shuriken instructed, pointing in the general vicinity with her right hand. Even when speaking to him, she was so focused on providing the finishing touches that Shunsui couldn't hide the utter infatuation from his face. What did it matter anyway, when she wasn't paying him any attention?

Even if she were, Shunsui wouldn't have cared for her to see just how much she enthralled him. In fact, Shunsui _wished_ that she would; maybe then his heart wouldn't ache so much all the time. Maybe then, she'd at least acknowledge the seemingly unbearable love he'd garnered for her for so long.

Shunsui felt that way, but he was guilty of not particularly going out of his way to confess his feelings for the woman. Was it the fear of rejection? Or the fear of losing her, if she _didn't_ feel the same? Then again, it was possible that Shunsui would lose her to another man, he supposed, but how likely was that _really_? He loved Shuriken but the men that she attracted weren't exactly desirable, and that was coming from _Kyoraku Shunsui_ who had, perhaps, the worst reputation with women in the Soul Society.

"Got it," Within no time, Shunsui had gathered the necessary plates and silverware to set Shuriken's humble dinner table. Jushiro had brewed some tea which he brought over as well, along with enough cups for the three of them. Knowing the company he was in, though, Jushiro also got a bottle of sake from Shuriken's kitchen as well.

After the table had been set and the food had been placed on it, Shunsui was thrilled to take a seat with his friends. Shuriken had made them a tantalizing chicken curry (Jushiro's choice), accompanied properly by a side of rice. Shunsui's mouth water at the sight, and were it not for Jushiro, he probably would have just dug in out of excitement.

"Thank you again for cooking for us, Shuri," Jushiro had the right idea, thanking the woman before devouring the meal she had prepared.

"Yeah! It's almost as beautiful as you are!" Shunsui chimed in, shooting Shuriken a charming grin. Such a look from him had caused so many other women to crumble and succumb to his every whim, but Shuriken was immune to his charm. At least, she made it appear that way, with how she just shook her head and motioned towards the curry she had cooked.

"Eat up!" She didn't have to tell Shunsui twice, as he was already piling his plate full. "Honestly, I'd like to have you guys over more often, now that my kitchen is all set up. If I'm not cooking for you two, I'm usually just doing it for myself."

"You help around the First, don't you?" Jushiro asked while pouring both he and Shuriken a cup of tea. Shunsui had already broken into the sake, though he was far too much of a gentleman to drink her entire jug by himself.

"When I have the time, yes, but that's different," Shuriken said. "There's just something so much more satisfying about cooking for people that I'm closer to, if that makes sense. I mean, I'll make lunch for the old guys every now and then, but it's not as if I really get to enjoy a nice sit-down meal with them often. There's never enough free time for that."

"If you missed our handsome faces so much, why didn't you just say so?" Shunsui chuckled. "I'm not much of a cook myself, and from personal experience I can tell you that Ju isn't that good at it, either," Though his fellow captain huffed in protest, Shunsui continued, "He's not going to make a very good house-husband, so I feel bad for the guy that settles down with him."

"Can we just leave him out next time?" Jushiro jokingly asked. Shuriken nodded as she scooped some curry into her mouth. "He's been on a roll today."

"Ah, you two would miss me if I was gone," Shunsui hummed cheerfully. "My stunning personality is what makes our group so great, you know."

"Is it?" He loved the way that Shuriken sent him a challenging leer, her lips threatening to change from a sly smirk to a full-on grin. She wasn't afraid to tease him, to give him the sort of push that others typically refrained from. "Because you're kind of an ass sometimes."

"And here I thought you loved me," Though Shunsui sounded sad, he couldn't keep a smile off his face. "I'm hurt."

" _Right_ ," Shuriken laughed, shaking her head as if to dismiss the topic. She didn't _deny_ loving him, but was it really that hard to consider that she felt such a way? They'd been friends for so long now that it would be difficult to believe she _didn't_ love him, at least in a platonic fashion. Shunsui loved Jushiro and he loved Shuriken, too, even if the way in which he loved them varied.

A comfortable silence fell over the friends as they ate their meal, and Shunsui couldn't help the feeling of content that seemed to fill his entire being. He wished that every day could end in such a way, with he, Shuriken, and Jushiro laughing, smiling, and enjoying themselves so fully. It wasn't as if the trio never saw each other, because they _did_ , but there was something special about having dinner at Shuriken's house. Though he had teased her about it when she had mentioned it, Shunsui wanted to come over more often.

"So, I meant to ask earlier, how's your bankai training going?" Shunsui was the first to break the silence once he had finished eating. He reclined in his seat, one hand holding a glass of sake while his other arm rested behind his head. "Have you driven Lieutenant Sasakibe up the wall yet?"

"Training is going very well, actually," Shuriken chose to ignore his teasing. The satisfaction that she wore now as she spoke about her results was so lovely to see, especially considering the utter heartache that she had once been smothered by in regards to her zanpakuto's final form. "Before long, I think it's going to go back to just me and Okami. Chojiro says I've almost reached the limit of what he can do for me, as far as that goes."

"I told you you'd be just fine with it," Shunsui chuckled. He and Shuriken stared at one another for a brief moment, and Shunsui hoped that she was able to tell just how proud of her that he truly was. Not once had he doubted Shuriken's potential, and he _definitely_ didn't doubt her commitment. Shuriken's biggest enemy had - and always would be - herself. "I don't think there's anything you _couldn't_ do, if you really set your mind to it."

"You flatter me too much," Shuriken said dismissively, though it was apparent that she had gotten his message. While Shunsui was sure that Shuriken appreciated comments on her beauty - because _damn_ , was this woman heavenly on the eyes - he also knew that compliments about her skills meant far more to her. "Save your praises for when I finally master this thing."

"We'll have to throw a celebration when you do," Jushiro jumped back into the conversation. When Shunsui finally tore his gaze away from the female across the table, he noticed Jushiro was giving him a knowing look. Oh, how he hated the uncharacteristically smug look that came to the thirteenth captain's face when he caught Shunsui and Shuriken sharing such a moment. "Maybe Shunsui and I could cook for _you_ then?"

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Shuriken laughed. "After what Shun said earlier, I'm not sure I trust your cooking, Ju," She then gave Jushiro a playful shrug. "No offense."

"He only said that because he doesn't want you to realize how poor of a cook that he himself is," Jushiro defended himself. The truth of the matter was that Shunsui was _not_ a bad cook - he was rather serviceable, in fact, and could more than fend for himself if need be - and Jushiro was _fine_ , you could say. Bless his soul, he always tried. "Don't let him tell you otherwise."

Now it seemed as though they had really caught Shuriken's interest, as she leaned forward with her elbows on the table and her hands folded across one another. "I think you might be onto something, Ju," She said, mischievously shifting her gaze between Shunsui and Jushiro. "How about this instead? When I master my bankai, we have a little cooking competition between you two. Of course, it can't be done _here_ , unless you'd be willing to repair any damages that may occur to my precious kitchen."

"What's the prize?" Shunsui couldn't help but ask, well aware of the fact that he was about to push his luck too far. "Because if it's your undying love, I don't think-"

"No, that's definitely not going to be it," Shuriken interrupted Shunsui, as he had expected. "Maybe I'll cook you something special myself?" A thoughtful expression had come to her face. "Ah, I don't know. I've got plenty of time to come up with something worth while."

"And Jushiro's got plenty of time to learn how to make a decent meal," Shunsui erupted into laughter as Jushiro sent him a glare. The latter wasn't _really_ capable of looking angry, but the way he looked at Shunsui right then was priceless. "What? You know I'm right."

"Nonsense," Jushiro protested. While he _would_ try to better his cooking skills, he knew that the likelihood of drastic improvement between now and then - regardless of how long it took Shuriken to master bankai - was slim to none. "You'll be eating your words when the time comes."

"I'll take that as a challenge," Shunsui grinned at Jushiro before turning to Shuriken. "What will be the dish you wish for us to make, when the time comes?" 

"If I told you in advance, that would spoil all of the fun," Shuriken said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"You're as unfair as you are gorgeous," Shunsui gave a dramatic sigh. "And that really says something."

"And you're as whiny as you are lazy," Shuriken shot back without a hint of malice in her voice.

Though none of the three were aware of it, this evening would be the last that they would spend as a group, for a while, without any sort of unease or tension polluting their joy. All good things must come to an end, but those that are truly meant to be, will find their way back again.

Shunsui, Shuriken, and Jushiro were no different.


	9. 'a sight to see'

When the day came for Squad Twelve's new captain to be inaugurated, Shuriken found herself by the side of her lieutenant as they awaited the arrival of all who would be present for the ceremony. Most captains and lieutenants would be making their way to the First to witness the event, and for many, it would be their first time meeting the man that the Second captain, Shihoin Yoruichi, had recommended personally for the role.

"So, did you get a chance to meet this guy after his captain's exam?" Shuriken asked from her lax position against the door of her office. "The old man didn't really tell me much about him, just that he's the most fitting candidate. It didn't seem like he had any doubts."

"Yes, I met him," Sasakibe nodded. He stood across from her, with his arms folded across his chest and resting in the sleeves of his shihakuso. "The Head Captain believes in him, so I mimic his sentiment."

Shuriken gave a short laugh. "Is that a polite way of saying you don't like the guy?" The glare that Sasakibe sent her through his pupil-less eyes confirmed Shuriken's suspisions.

"I've not spent enough time with him to form a concrete opinion. It would be unfair to say that I like or dislike Captain Urahara when I barely know him," Sasakibe shook his head. "I am sure that he will do a fine job, though, otherwise he wouldn't have received such a promotion."

"Fair enough. I guess you've got a point there," Shuriken said. Her curiosity had reached a peak, mainly due to the lack of information she had been given. She knew that he was previously the third seat of Squad Two, but aside from that, the man was a mystery to her. It wasn't exactly Shuriken's business _who_ was picked as a captain, really, as it wasn't like she was interested in the position herself.

Though, she _was_ rather grateful to be on good terms with most of the captains in the Gotei 13. Shuriken adored Yamamoto, Shunsui, and Jushiro, obviously, and she would consider herself - more or less - friends with Hirako and Rojuro. There weren't any feelings of hostility between her and Kuchiki, Muguruma, Aikawa, or Shihoin, so that was a plus. Squad Eleven's current Kenpachi rarely socialized, so really, it was easy to forget that he was even _there_ sometimes.

And then there was Unohana. _Goddamn_ , Shuriken pitied anyone who was foolish enough to get on that woman's bad side.

When the time came for everyone to line up, Shuriken and Sasakibe took their positions on either side of Yamamoto's chair. They were the first to arrive, followed shortly by the captain's of division's Two, Four, Six, and Nine. Shortly after, captain's Three, Five, Seven, Eight, and Thirteen made their ways in as well. Some had their lieutenants with them while some didn't; it all depended on the captain, really.

As they entered the room, Shuriken exchanged brief waves with Shunsui and Jushiro. They both seemed to be doing well, which was always great to see.

However, a few minutes began to pass without any sign of Yamamoto _or_ Urahara. Right as Shuriken started contemplating speaking to Sasakibe about exactly _why_ things were taking so damn long, the man of the hour finally walked through the doors of the meeting room.

"Oh, uh... It looks like I'm the last to arrive," The blond in clogs apologized as his eyes scanned the large room. "I'm sorry about that."

The moment that Shuriken laid eyes on his goofy expression and listened to him speak, she felt a twinge of frustration surge through her. _You've got to be shitting me. There's no way this man is a captain_. The haori he wore and the scolding that soon came from Shihoin made it painfully clear that _indeed_ , he was a captain, and he was the one that they were all there to see.

"What are you doing?!" Yamamoto's voice, which boomed from behind Urahara, attracted all of their attention. "Get in there, fool! Stop wasting time!"

"R-Right! Sorry!" Urahara apologized.

As Yamamoto took his seat and began the inauguration ceremony for Urahara Kisuke, Shuriken tried desperately to fight off the feeling of aggravation that continued to bubble in the pits of her stomach. There wasn't any chance of her speaking up and interrupting the event, as she was _far_ too respectful for that, but she didn't have to be happy, did she?

 _If there's ever a time to trust the old man, it's now. There's absolutely no way that he would promote this man if he wasn't deserving of the spot._ Regardless of what her mind told her, though, Shuriken couldn't deny that this man rubbed her the wrong way.

-

"... So what do you say? Are you down for it?" Shunsui's chipper tone was like a knife into Shuriken's head.

"You're free to decline if you're busy! We completely understand if you'd much rather spend the night by yourself, adjusting to your new division," Jushiro was completely in on it, too, which made things _so_ much worse.

Of course Shuriken's best friends were inviting Urahara out for drinks with them; why wouldn't they be? And it wasn't as if Shunsui and Jushiro would be selfish enough to try and hog the new captain for themselves; _no_ , they had to bring Shuriken in on it, too. How kind they were!

It didn't help that Shunsui had _insisted_ that they talk it over in Shuriken's office, since it was the closest and it would give them a bit of privacy. You know, because everyone who was everyone wanted to see the new captain on his first day!

The only person who seemed to share Shuriken's lack of enthusiasm was Urahara's lieutenant, Sarugaki. Actually, Sarugaki was far less thrilled with Urahara than Shuriken was, as Shuriken was just more annoyed by his lack of professionalism, and Sarugaki was legitimately pissed off by his mere existence.

"I really don't want to impose on a nice night between friends," Urahara gave a small laugh. He then looked over at Shunsui and Jushiro, who were sending him encouraging smiles.

"We wouldn't invite you if we didn't want you there," Shunsui dismissed Urahara's concerns. "Right, Ju? Ri?"

"Of course!" Jushiro was quick to agree.

That left Shuriken, who had opted to sit silently behind her desk while the men discussed their plans. She soon found three sets of eyes turning to her, though, and whereas she typically would've allowed her gaze to linger on Shunsui, she instead let it rest on Urahara; as she debated on whether or not to speak her honest opinion or to go along with her friends, Shuriken found another part of her mind observing how handsome Urahara was.

"What do you say, Miss Natazaki?" Urahara playfully prodded when Shuriken took too long to answer. "Is it really okay if I go out with you three tonight?"

Shuriken's eyes flickered over to Shunsui and Jushiro, both of whom still seemed rather interested in welcoming Urahara into the Gotei 13. If she turned the man away, Shuriken's friends would call her childish upon hearing her reasoning and beg her to give Urahara another chance regardless, so it was probably better that she went ahead and did just that, right?

 _Maybe_ , Shuriken considered, _he isn't that bad. Maybe he's just awkward and absolutely horrendous at first impressions._ Besides, if word got back to Yamamoto that she had treated his new captain with anything but the utmost respect, he'd certainly scold her for it.

Urahara was _not_ worth Yamamoto's wrath.

"Absolutely," Shuriken said, bringing an excited grin to the Twelfth captain's face. "But if _you_ men keep me out of work any longer, it's going to be _my_ head that the old man goes after," She then extended her arms across her desk and shook her hands in a 'shooing' motion. "We can all meet up at Shun's office at the end of the day, okay? Work out the details on your way back to your own squads."

"Do I really have to be the one that deals with them while they wait on you to show up?" Lisa questioned, her head popping up in the opened window behind Shuriken's desk. "That's kind of a dick move, Shuriken."

"Lisa," Shunsui whined as he tipped his hat back. His lips had turned into a pout as he stared at his lieutenant. "I really wish you weren't so rude in front of everyone like that."

"In front of _who_?" Lisa gave a short, tart laugh. "Captain Ukitake and Shuriken are well aware of my ways, I'm sure," After pausing for a moment to look at Urahara, she added, "I've got to say, though, I didn't expect you to invite Captain Urahara out today. You usually don't care about promotions, unless the ones getting them are girls."

"That's not true," Shunsui protested. With Lisa, Shunsui had to be the more mature one of their duo. While he absolutely adored Lisa herself, he wasn't as fond of being the 'adult.' "We took Rose out to eat when he took over Squad Three a couple of years ago."

"Uh-huh," Lisa hummed, her head shaking slowly from side to side. "You _did_ , but should I remind you of how that night ended?"

Shuriken snorted at the memory while Jushiro was better at hiding his laughter. Shunsui's face had flushed in embarrassment, leaving poor Urahara completely in the dark.

"How could I ever forget about it, when you make sure to bring it up at every opportunity?" On the night in question, Shunsui, Shuriken, and Jushiro had taken Rojuro out for dinner to celebrate his promotion to captain, just as he and Lisa had mentioned. However, by the end of the night, everyone but Jushiro was at least _tipsy_. Shunsui, though, was hammered off his ass - the sake at the restaurant, he had argued, was just too good to resist - and he had ended up saying some rather questionable things.

Simply put, Shunsui had tried flirting with Rojuro under the impression of the latter being female. Yeah, his mind was as far gone as you think it was. Rojuro had wound up leaving shortly after, leaving a mainly sober Jushiro and an unsteady Shuriken to haul the Eighth captain back to his home.

Shunsui and Shuriken both had spent the night at the Ukitake home that evening, as it was the closest to the restaurant they'd been at. After helping Jushiro carry Shunsui's incoherent ass to Jushiro's place, Shuriken was exhausted and she didn't particularly feel like heading home. How the story had gotten back to Lisa, Shunsui wasn't sure, but it _had_ , and he would never live it down.

"I wouldn't always bring it up if it wasn't so damn hilarious," Lisa's amusement was obvious in her tone alone.

"It _was_ pretty funny, Shun," Shuriken had to agree, something that only deepened Shunsui's pout. "My personal favorite part was-"

"Okay, okay!" Shunsui loudly clapped his hands together before placing one on each of his fellow captain's shoulders. "I think this is the perfect time for us to leave, huh, gentlemen?"

"Of course," Jushiro nodded. "I wouldn't _dare_ put you through anymore embarrassment. Besides, I believe that's Captain Otoribashi's tale to tell far more than it is ours."

"Good point!" Lisa beamed as she, rather elegantly, launched herself through Shuriken's window and into her office. Shuriken wasn't surprised, but she still spent a long moment staring at the place Lisa had just entered from and wondering how she was able to get through there. "I think we should stop and see him on our way back to our division, don't you, captain?"

After sending a pitiful, 'help me' look to Shuriken, Shunsui began leading the way out of Shuriken's office. Jushiro waved at the navy-haired female before following suit soon after; Urahara paused a moment, obviously contemplating something to say to Shuriken, before deciding to just leave with a wave of his own. As he caught up with Jushiro, Shuriken heard him ask, "Hey, uh... Are they always like this? Captain Kyoraku and his lieutenant, I mean."

Jushiro's reply was too quiet for her to hear, but Shuriken didn't doubt that Jushiro told Urahara that they, indeed, were. When Lisa was after Shunsui's ass and not her own, Shuriken found great joy in the other woman's teasing.

What Shuriken _wouldn't_ find as much joy in was the stressful chain of events that would follow the coming night's affairs, and the strain that it would put on her and her best friends.

-

Shunsui was the one that had initially suggested inviting Urahara out as a way of making him more comfortable after his promotion, but as the four of them sat at one of the trio's local bars, Jushiro was certain that Shunsui regretted his offer. Though Shunsui was maintaining his happy, go-lucky persona, it wasn't very hard for Jushiro to see right through him. Shuriken would've been able to do the same, were her attention to shift to Shunsui for more than a few moments at a time.

Even as early in the day as at Urahara's initiation ceremony, Jushiro had noticed that Shuriken seemed off-put by Urahara's behaviors. That was to be expected, surely, based on Shuriken's own personality and punctuality. It was Urahara's awkwardness earlier that had led to Jushiro agreeing that they should take him out, even, as the white-haired male wanted to make sure that one of his fellow captains adjusted well to his new role.

Neither Jushiro nor Shunsui had expected Shuriken and Urahara to actually hit it off.

On one side of their table sat Shunsui and Jushiro, while on the other sat Shuriken and Urahara respectively. After the ice had been broken and everyone had consumed a couple of drinks, Shuriken had become rather comfortable with the new captain of the Twelfth division.

In fact, she hadn't taken her eyes off of him - aside to pour herself more sake - in at least fifteen minutes. Shuriken and Urahara both had light-pink cheeks, signaling that they were at a nice level of intoxication. Neither of them were _gone_ , but they were feeling the effects and enjoying themselves.

"I'm so glad that the two of you are getting along so well," Shunsui spoke, attracting the attention of the three at the table. Jushiro watched his dear friend with slightly narrowed eyes, as he was looking past the face-value of Shunsui's words. "Here I thought you were going to strangle the man earlier, Ri."

Shunsui was jealous, almost pitifully so. Jushiro could see it plain as day on the brunette's face, though he wore a smile. The way that Shunsui watched Shuriken and Urahara interact made it so painfully obvious, and for not the first time during the trio's friendship, Jushiro wished that Shunsui would just admit his feelings for Shuriken to her.

It wasn't as if Shuriken didn't feel the same. The woman had never told Jushiro of her love for Shunsui in such blatant terms, but during some of their more private conversations she had all but done so in the past. Besides, it wasn't as if it was hard to tell; Shuriken wanted no one more than she wanted Shunsui.

"Wait, what?" Urahara looked from Shunsui to Shuriken. A laugh escaped his lips as he asked her, "You wouldn't really have done such a thing, right?"

"I really thought about it," Shuriken admitted without a hint of regret. "You kind of pissed me off, showing up late and all," She took a drink from the cup that had been resting idly in her hand. "It seemed really disrespectful to everyone, especially my old man. That shit doesn't fly with me, you know?"

"That's pretty cruel," Urahara frowned. He thumped an elbow down on the table, so that he could use that hand to rest his head on. "You _really_ would have regretted that, though, seeing how well we're getting along now."

"Would I?" Shuriken's blatantly flirtatious smile made Jushiro cringe _for_ Shunsui. "I'm sure I'd be more upset about whatever punishment I got for killing a captain."

"Ow. Why're you so mean?" Urahara returned the expression, and Jushiro could feel Shunsui physically tense beside of him. "Was she born like this, or did it happen over time?" The blond jokingly asked Shunsui and Jushiro, oblivious to the fire behind Shunsui's eyes.

"I've never known her to be any different," Jushiro spoke up, so as to take some of the burden off of Shunsui. "She's feisty, that's for sure. One of a kind."

"Yep, our little Ri is something special, no doubt about it," Shunsui chimed in regardless of Jushiro's attempt to spare him. "You'll never find a more hard-working, loyal, or passionate gal than her."

Jushiro wanted to sigh; Shunsui was surely trying to praise Shuriken to attract her attention, but based on the way Urahara turned to her, it seemed as though Shunsui had only succeeded in making the other male even more interested in her.

"That's really fascinating," Urahara chuckled. "I'd always heard that the Head Captain's little girl was a sight to see, but I've got to say, she's really surprised me with how cool she is," He gave a dreamy sigh. "You guys are lucky, to have kept her all to yourselves by now. I'm surprised you've not fought each other over her yet!" Urahara was proud of his joke and laughed at it enough for the rest of them.

"So am I going to have to deal with you blowing smoke up my ass, too?" Shuriken scoffed, but she still wore the same fond, drunken smile that had been on her lips most of the evening. "That's a shame. You're setting the wrong kinds of expectations for me."

"Oh yeah?" Urahara smirked, leaning over closer to her for a moment. "Then please, enlighten me on what I can do to change that."

Shuriken raised her glass and gently tapped it on Urahara's forehead, an action that she found absolutely _hilarious_ in her intoxicated state. "I think some big-brained scientist like you will be smart enough to figure it out."

"Now I think that you're the one that's setting the wrong expectations for _me_!" Urahara leaned back, once more erupting into laughter. Shuriken followed suit after downing what remained in her cup.

Jushiro turned to Shunsui, watching as he took a long, hard drink from a jug of sake. Everything about Shunsui's body language told Jushiro that he was ready to go, and Jushiro really couldn't blame him. Though Jushiro had never been in love, he'd at least had crushes before, and seeing them with someone else always hurt.

The thing that puzzled Jushiro, however, was that this was the first time that he had seen Shunsui so jealous of Shuriken flirting with another man. Jushiro and Shunsui both had met several of Shuriken's would-be boyfriends in the past, and Shunsui was never _happy_ to see them, but it was never like this.

Was Jushiro missing something? It was a possibility, as this was far out of Jushiro's element, but he still believed that he was rather observant.

Then it hit him. _Does Shunsui really see Urahara as a rival for Shuri's affection?_ If that _was_ the case, Shunsui had to be seeing more between them than Jushiro was. They were hitting it off, sure, but Jushiro found it hard to imagine that _anyone_ could make her as happy as Shunsui.

Uncertain of how to handle the awkward situation in which he had been placed, Jushiro took a moment - in his slightly hazy mind - to create an exit plan, not only for his sake, but for Shunsui's as well. It would be rude to just leave this early, so what other choice did Jushiro have? He'd considered just toughing it out, but after seeing pain once more rush over Shunsui's face as Shuriken and Kisuke chatted, Jushiro knew what he needed to do.

As Jushiro forced himself into a fit of coughing, was he proud of himself? No; in fact, he was very much ashamed of what he had done. His entire life, Jushiro had done everything that he could to prove that he was so much more than his illness, that it didn't define him. That it didn't hold him back.

But, for Shunsui's sake, Jushiro was willing to bite the bullet and go against his own principals. Shunsui was sure to scold him for it later, but Jushiro would deal with that problem when it came to be.

"Ju!" Shuriken jumped into action first, slamming her cup on the table with more force than she had surely intended, judging by the way she looked down in alarm. "Hey, are you okay?"

Jushiro's eyes soon closed as his fake coughs - which turned rather real very quickly - wracked his body. It wasn't until pain actually started in his chest that he worried about Unohana finding out what he'd just done and punishing him for it. There was no way she'd ever figure it out though, was there? Even she wasn't _that_ good.

... Or so Jushiro hoped.

"Looks like somebody needs to head home," Shunsui said as he placed a hand on Jushiro's back. "As much as I hate to cut this little get-together short, it's for the best that we don't push you, Jushiro."

How Shunsui's tone remained so lax was beyond Jushiro's understanding.

"I'll be fine," Jushiro protested, to make his act more believable; I mean, was it _completely_ an act, when he'd actually caused himself pain? "Don't worry about me."

"Nope, I don't want to hear it," Shuriken huffed from across the table. "You're going home before you get any worse."

"But Shuri-"

"You heard the lady," Shunsui gently patted Jushiro's back as he stood. After placing enough money on the table to cover the drinks, Shunsui helped Jushiro to his feet. "We can't have you getting bad on us. It's better to stop these attacks right when they start as opposed to fighting through them, isn't that right?"

Jushiro sighed, though he had achieved just the result he had wanted. "I suppose that's true."

"Hold on," Urahara said as he stood up, too. He was initially a little wobbly on his feet, but he soon steadied himself and walked over to Jushiro's side. "After you guys were so nice to me today, the least I can do is walk you home, Captain Ukitake. You'd already be home if it wasn't for me, anyway."

The kindness in Urahara's voice didn't surprise Jushiro, but it did impress him. He'd expected Urahara to walk Shuriken home while Shunsui accompanied Jushiro back to his home.

"I can take him," Shunsui protested, though Urahara merely shook his head with a smile.

"I insist," Urahara wrapped an arm around Jushiro's waist, helping to steady both Jushiro and himself. "Besides, our barracks are close together. I'd be happy to do it."

Shunsui was hesitant; he was the one that normally took care of Jushiro, after all, but surely he would see reasoning in this? Jushiro looked at Shunsui and noticed that he relaxed after a moment.

"Take good care of him," Shunsui nodded to Urahara and gave him a smile. "We'll both cry if something happens to our beloved Jushiro."

"If you're still feeling bad in the morning, promise me you'll stay home," The way that Shuriken looked at Jushiro was more than enough to make him regret what he was doing. "Because if I catch wind that you're ill at work tomorrow, I'll drag you home myself."

"When you put it that way, I suppose I don't have a choice," Jushiro smiled weakly at Shuriken, who returned the expression. He then rested against Urahara and said, "Thank you, Urahara."

"It's not a problem at all," Urahara grinned while keeping a strong hold on Jushiro. "Well, I guess we'd better get going! I don't want Shuriken to beat me because I kept you out when you were sick," He teased lightly.

"Exactly," Shuriken's slurred voice was the most concerned that it had been. "So get going."

"Goodnight," Jushiro gave Shuriken and Shunsui both a small wave. As his eyes connected with Shunsui's, Jushiro tried to get a good read on him; whether it be the alcohol or the sick spell that Jushiro had forced upon himself, he wasn't able to figure Shunsui out. "I'll see you all again soon."

Shunsui and Shuriken both said their farewells to Jushiro, and whether or not they decided to stay at the bar or to head home, he wasn't sure. What Jushiro _did_ know, though, was that he truly hoped that they spent some time together before they parted ways.

Urahara was a good man, a fine colleague, and, Jushiro didn't doubt, a wonderful friend to have. Jushiro appreciated his kindness and his eagerness to help, and while the logical part of Jushiro told him that things would settle down in due time, he couldn't help but worry over the future of his trio.

His best friends weren't stubborn and childish enough to let this sort of thing come between them. Of course they weren't. Jushiro, Shunsui, and Shuriken were all adults; hell, they were some of the oldest members of the Gotei 13 at this point. Jushiro, Shunsui, Yamamoto, and Unohana were the only current captains who had held their positions for more than one-hundred years, after all!

Whatever storm was brewing would pass, just as every other one that they had encountered in their lives had done before. They were best when they were together, and that was a simple truth that Jushiro, Shunsui, and Shuriken knew by heart.


	10. 'foolish'

The grunt with which Shunsui hauled himself out of bed was followed by a long stretch of his arms. His head ached and his body reeked of sex, but the latter part wasn't really a concern as he was on his way to the shower anyway. While he much would have preferred to spend the morning in bed, sleeping away his hangover and dealing with his problems in a less than healthy way, Shunsui knew that such a thing wasn't possible.

 _Fuck. Maybe I overdid it last night._ Shunsui walked into his bathroom with his head reclined against his back. The only remnants of what he'd worn yesterday were the bottom of his shihakuso and his boxers, but they were lazily discarded before Shunsui began running the water for his shower. As the sound of water beating against the tub filled the room, Shunsui's mind began to wander.

He couldn't help the jealousy that surged through him whenever he pictured Shuriken and Urahara together, laughing, smiling, _flirting_. Although Urahara's induction as a captain had been five days ago now, the images from that night were still clear in his mind. Shunsui had never seen Shuriken so happy in the company of another man; at least, another man that she had a possibility of dating. Obviously Jushiro, Yamamoto, and Sasakibe could bring her great joy, but one of them was gay and the other two... Well, the easiest way to put it was that they were like family to her, right?

Every other man that Shuriken had ever introduced he and Jushiro to, Shunsui had been able to write off as some short-term shit-bag that she was foolish enough to give the time of day. Shunsui certainly didn't have any room to talk, as most of the women that he fancied had beauty that was only skin deep, but the point was that Shuriken had never looked at a man with such a light in her eyes.

It broke Shunsui's heart.

He knew that he was being selfish and that he should be happy because Shuriken was, but it was so hard for Shunsui to support something that left his stomach in such knots. All of this time, there had been a part of Shunsui that believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never lose Shuriken. Now that he knew that wasn't the case, Shunsui wasn't sure what to do.

After all, it wasn't as though Shunsui was completely convinced that Shuriken even reciprocated the agonizingly large amount of love that he held for her. His feelings of jealousy brought an unusual feeling of self-hatred to Shunsui, as really, why _wasn't_ he happy for her? Urahara was a good man, strong, handsome, and talented. He would be good to her, Shunsui was sure, but would he ever _truly_ love Shuriken the way that Shunsui himself did?

 _I'm getting pathetic in my old age, moping around like this. What's wrong with me?_ Shunsui sighed heavily before stepping into his shower. The warm water provided him immense comfort, and for a moment, he merely stood there, eyes closed, as it washed over his body. _Oh well. Nothing I can do about it today, anyway._ He mused while rubbing both of his hands across his face.

He wasn't quite sure what he needed to do to feel better, but the rational voice in the back of his mind told him that no amount of booze, sex, or pretty women would fill the hole in his heart. That voice, Shunsui decided, would be better off shutting its mouth.

-

From the moment that Shunsui had stepped into the office, Lisa was tired of his behavior. Since the day after Urahara's captain's ceremony, Shunsui had been particularly useless during his time at work and really, she couldn't handle it anymore.

The pained sighs. The aggravated huffs. The distant stares out the window. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

"When are you going to get your head out of your ass and go talk to her?" Lisa's tone was rather condescending as she spoke to her captain, though her eyes never left the magazine that she had been perusing. It wasn't the most appropriate content for her to be viewing at work, based on its mature subject matter, but things would've been different if Lisa was actually a pervert. No, she was just curious.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Shunsui gave a vaguely nervous laugh. Lisa scoffed as she flipped to the next page of her magazine; he knew exactly what she was talking about, and his attempt at denying it was pathetic.

"You know better than to play dumb with me. It doesn't work," Lisa took a brief glance at Shunsui, whose brows were furrowed. "You're making this even harder on yourself by ignoring the issue," She said while returning her gaze to the reading material in her hands. "Go tell her how you feel and I'm sure you'll feel like a new man."

"Lisa..." Shunsui sighed, though the sound was as aggravating to Lisa as nails on a chalkboard. "It's really not that simple. When you've been so close to someone for so long, and you feel _that_ way about them, you can't just throw that sort of thing at them out of the blue one day."

"And why not?" Lisa challenged coolly. "Maybe it _is_ that simple, captain. If you want it to feel right, then find a way to do just that. You're a big romantic sap, so I'm sure you could come up with something that would blow her off her feet."

Although Lisa was no expert on love - relationships weren't her thing, nor was she sure they ever would be - she knew enough about Shunsui from their years of working together to know that he was, without a doubt, smitten with Natazaki Shuriken. He hid his feelings behind flirtatious banter and the affection of women who mattered little to him, especially in comparison to the navy-haired third seat of Yamamoto's division.

"You can pester me all you want, it's not going to change anything," Shunsui muttered stubbornly as he laid down behind his desk. After situating one arm behind his head as a pillow, he took his straw hat and placed it over his face. "Wake me up when you need me, dear."

"How do you even know that she's into Captain Urahara, anyway? Isn't it possible that they were just drunk and horny?" That was the more likely scenario in Lisa's mind. While Shunsui hadn't flat-out told her what had gone on the night that they had taken the new captain out for drinks, it wasn't hard for Lisa to put the pieces together. "At the ceremony, Shuriken didn't seem like she liked him too much. You could very well be beating yourself up over nothing."

Another sigh came from Shunsui's chest and Lisa's eye physically twitched. Would it be possible for her to suffocate him with his hat? To put him out of his misery once and for all?

"If you won't go talk to her, I will," Lisa said casually. "It's either you or me, captain, and I don't think you want it to be me."

For a couple of minutes, Lisa and Shunsui sat in silence. Lisa continued to look through her magazine as she waited on his response, but she had made the decision that if he sighed just _once_ more, that was it. If she couldn't get Shuriken to agree to love the man, Lisa would at least make _her_ deal with his shitty mood.

"Have you made your choice yet?" Lisa asked as she, finally, sat her magazine down on her desk. "I'll be more than happy to go see Shuriken, if you're not in the mood," Her eyes rested on her captain, waiting for him to make a move. After another moment, Shunsui forced himself to his feet.

"When you put me in such a spot, I have no choice but to go," Shunsui chuckled as he pulled his hat back onto his head. "As you said earlier, it's entirely possible that I'm just putting myself through hell without really needing to. If it turns out that I was right, though..." Shunsui trailed off; Lisa shot him a glare when it seemed as if he was about to sigh and he stopped immediately. "Well, I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

After a quick search through her desk, Lisa pulled out a stack of paperwork that she had finished a couple of days earlier. It wasn't anything fancy, just a few documents regarding the Eighth's budget that she'd had to look over. Their division never had to worry about funds, truthfully, as Shunsui was always willing to take care of his subordinates and whatever needs they had. Lisa admired his selflessness, his desire to provide for those that trusted him.

Regardless of whatever faults Shunsui had - he wasn't perfect, not by any meaning of the word - he was still an extraordinary soul. There weren't many with as much love inside of them as he had, and Lisa had to admit that Shuriken would be stupid not to see that. Just because Lisa herself wasn't interested in her captain, that didn't mean that she didn't appreciate him as a person. 

"Take this with you, so that it actually looks like you're doing something," Lisa said as she passed Shunsui the stack of papers. He gave her the first genuine smile that she'd seen on his lips in days while tucking them under his arm.

"Thank you, Lisa," Shunsui placed a hand on his lieutenant's shoulder for a brief second before turning and walking towards the door. He was grateful for her, she knew that, and it did make her happy to know that even if just a little bit, she'd been able to motivate Shunsui.

"Just don't spend all day in the First, okay?" Lisa called as Shunsui left the office, waving at her over his shoulder. "If I have to go hunt you down, I'll be even more upset!"

"I hear ya, I hear ya!"

Once the door had closed behind Shunsui and Lisa felt his spiritual pressure moving away, the woman released a sigh of her own. One slim hand found its way to Lisa's head as she closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, slicking her hair back into place.

_Idiots. They'd both be so much better off if they'd stop dancing around the obvious fact that they were made for each other. If they'd just hooked up years ago like they should have, they wouldn't even be in this mess._

But while that was the obvious solution, it was not the one that we received. Instead, Shuriken and Shunsui continued to struggle with this new obstacle that had come into their way.

-

Whatever conversation that Shunsui had hoped to have with Shuriken - he hadn't planned on going as far as Lisa had suggested, with him confessing his love for Shuriken - was thrown out the window the moment that he entered her office. He'd been smart enough to hold onto the paperwork that he had to take to Yamamoto until _after_ he visited Shuriken, a subconscious decision that he had made on his way there.

"It's awful early for you to be out and about, isn't it?" The teasing greeting that Shuriken gave Shunsui with was considerably less heart-warming to the man, considering who sat across from her. "Should I be impressed or concerned?"

"Mornin', Captain Kyoraku," Urahara sent Shunsui a smile and a wave, which Shunsui returned, albeit with less enthusiasm than usual. "Thanks again for taking me out the other night. We'll have to do it again sometime!"

 _I'd much rather not_. Shunsui thought rather bitterly. _Is it too soon after me showing up to leave? I don't want Ri to-_

"Are we all still on for dinner Saturday?" She asked, interrupting his train of thought. Shunsui knew exactly why Shuriken was asking such a question, but what could he do? "I guess what I'm really asking is, is Ju doing better? I've not heard from him since the other night and I've been too busy here to sneak away and check on him."

_Too busy? Doing what, shirking work so that you can spend time with this guy?_

"Yeah, he's just fine," Shunsui assured. "I sent Lisa to check on him a couple of days ago and he seemed to be feeling a lot better. He was very apologetic for having to end things early the other night."

"That's good," Shuriken gave a small, relieved smile. "I'm glad to hear that."

"As was I," Shunsui gave a smile back to her. Even when Shuriken - unintentionally - caused his heart such distress, there were times that he couldn't help but look at her with such a gaze. It was probably due to their topic being Jushiro. Probably. "So as far as I know, dinner is still good to go."

Though he knew what she would say next, it still felt like a punch to Shunsui's gut.

"So, are you free on Saturday?" Shuriken asked, her beautiful face turning away from Shunsui and towards Urahara. It didn't matter how many women came into Shunsui's life, none of them would ever be able to compare to Shuriken in his eyes.

"Hey, I don't want to impose on your evening with your friends," Urahara shook his head. "Not when this is something you guys have had planned out!" 

"Don't give me that," Shuriken's gaze softened as the nicest, most flirtatious grin came onto her lips. A chuckle came from Urahara's chest as one of his hands moved to rub the back of his neck. "I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal. Right, Shun?" She asked, in a very similar matter to what Shunsui had done to her a few days ago, when they first went out with Urahara. Oh, how things change.

Though Shuriken had put him between a rock and a hard place, Shunsui still bit the bullet and went along with whatever it was that Shuriken wanted. Urahara made her happy, it seemed, and it wouldn't be fair for Shunsui to interfere. It appeared like Shuriken and Urahara were becoming close anyway; maybe Shunsui _had_ taken too long to see her again.

"Of course! The more the merrier, right?" Shunsui laughed as he walked forward, so that he stood behind the newer captain. One hand went to Urahara's shoulder and gave it a stiff squeeze, though not enough to hurt the male. If Shuriken had caught onto the subtle change in his tone, she didn't show it. "Besides, it seems like you and Ri are getting along great now. Any friend of hers is a friend of ours. I'm sure Jushiro would tell you the same thing."

Jushiro and Lisa both would scold him for the way he was acting, by encouraging Shuriken and Urahara's relationship - whatever that was. Shunsui was no fool and the first thing he'd noticed upon arriving at Shuriken's office was how comfortable she and Urahara were with each other. They had no problem just relaxing together, laughing, acting as though they were far closer than they were.

But really, what _could_ Shunsui do about it? It wasn't as if Shunsui could just kneel down in front of both Shuriken and Urahara and profess his undying love for the woman. Was he supposed to sweep her off her feet from behind her desk and into his arms, romantically telling her that she's been the one he's longed for since their days in the academy?

Of course not. There wasn't _anything_ that Shunsui could do, at least, not at the moment. If he made a scene and embarrassed Shuriken, she certainly wouldn't be too happy with him. And if Shunsui made an ass out of himself in front of Urahara and Shuriken _didn't_ reciprocate his feelings, that would create a rift between them that Shunsui wasn't sure he'd ever be able to mend.

"Really?" Urahara looked up and over his shoulder at Shunsui as Shunsui's hand fell back to his side. "I mean, if that's the case, I guess it'd be rude of me to turn down the offer. I've got to say, I really enjoy being around all three of you," The blond then paused, his gaze returning to Shuriken. "A lot more than I ever could've expected."

"I guess it's fair to say you surprised me, too," Shuriken said while sending Urahara a wink.

Shunsui didn't want to feel jealous. He didn't want to harbor any ill feelings for Urahara when, in reality, Shunsui knew that Urahara wasn't a bad person. In fact, Shunsui would say that there were quite a few similarities between them! However, it didn't matter how wonderful Urahara was when he used his extraordinary charisma to woo Shuriken. 

"Well, since it seems like you two are busy, I'll go ahead and get out of your hair," Shunsui gave a small bow at the waist to both Shuriken and Urahara as he stepped back, the hand that had previously been on Urahara's shoulder moving to tip his hat.

"You've not got to rush off," Shuriken protested as she leaned back at her desk. Her brows had furrowed just a bit, and if Shunsui didn't know any better, he would have said that there was a bit of frustration behind her ocean colored eyes. "You just got here."

"Please, stay as long as you'd like!" Urahara added, motioning towards the space beside of him with a wave of his hand. "Don't let me scare you off!" He laughed, though his words rubbed Shunsui the wrong way. 

"As much as I'd love to sit and shoot the breeze with you two all day, I'm afraid that Lisa won't be too happy with me taking so long," The perfect scapegoat. However, Shunsui knew that Lisa would much prefer he stay out all day, if it kept him from moping in the office. He wouldn't be returning to his lieutenant in a good mood, and in fact, his mood would probably be _worse_ than when he left.

Hell, maybe he should just call it a day after he left the First? If Shunsui went back to his own division, there was no doubt in his mind that Lisa would pester him until he gave her all the 'juicy' details about what went on between him and Shuriken. Hearing that he'd been so complacent, that he'd all but given Shuriken and Urahara his blessing, would infuriate Lisa.

Truthfully, Shunsui didn't feel like dealing with that today.

"I bet Lieutenant Yadomaru can be just as much of a handful as Hiyori!" The hearty chuckle that Urahara released proved that he completely bought Shunsui's story. "Man, Hiyori sure is something."

"Yeah," Shunsui agreed, maintaining his typical, upbeat demeanor. However, there was a nearly undetectable condescending undertone in his voice as he said, "I'd say she's certainly putting you to the test right now. Lieutenant Sarugaki loved Captain Hikifune, so it's not going to be easy for you to win her over, no matter what you do." 

"That's what Captain Hirako has been telling me!" Urahara once again laughed, this time to disregard any ill intentions behind Shunsui's words. "I'm pretty persistent, though, so I'm sure I'll get through to her one way or another. She's just like a little bundle of energy and excitement that needs a good outlet for her frustrations, I think."

An accurate observation for Sarugaki, for sure, but one that Shunsui wasn't too interested in hearing about. He gave a smile and nod in response before waving to Shuriken and Urahara with the papers in his hand. "Enjoy yourselves, you crazy kids."

Shunsui turned to leave with a smooth turn of his heels, but as he exited Shuriken's office he felt her eyes on him like a pair of daggers. Urahara's enthusiastic words filled the air as Shunsui closed the door behind him and he hated it.

"Good morning, Captain Kyoraku," Sasakibe, the loyal lieutenant that he was, greeted Shunsui as he made his way to see Yamamoto. The two stopped in the middle of the hall and Shunsui gave him a welcoming grin. "How are you today?"

"I've never been better," Though that wasn't entirely true, Shunsui _was_ pleased to see Sasakibe. Were Shunsui in a more usual mood for himself, he'd feel bad for using Sasakibe as yet another scapegoat for the day. "How are you, lieutenant?"

"I am fine, thank you," Sasakibe nodded politely. Upon noticing the pages in Shunsui's hand, he conveniently asked, "Are those for the Head Captain, sir?"

"They are indeed!" Shunsui held them up in front of him with a lazy hand. "He's actually the man I was coming to see."

"I'm sure such words would break Natazaki's heart," Sasakibe's tone hadn't changed, but Shunsui knew that he was merely jesting. The man really was wonderful to Shuriken, even if he wasn't always the most affectionate.

"Right?" Shunsui chuckled, as if he wasn't thinking, bitterly, about the way his conversation with Shuriken and Urahara had just gone. "It'd be better if we kept such a thing between us, lieutenant. I don't think either of us would like to see her so sad."

Sasakibe gave Shunsui the smallest hint of a smile, which was enough for Shunsui. It wasn't as though he felt up to conversing with the man at the moment anyway. Typically, Shunsui would have eaten the opportunity up, as he enjoyed speaking with Sasakibe, especially when the topic was Shuriken. Today, though, Shunsui just wasn't in the mood.

"Would you care to deliver this to the old man for me?" Shunsui asked, disregarding the clear dislike Sasakibe showed for how he referred to Yamamoto. He gave a slight nod to the papers in his hands as he said, "I'd sure appreciate it."

"Of course, captain," Sasakibe took the papers from Shunsui and held them under his arm. "If you'll excuse me, I need to be on my way to the Head Captain now. It has been nice talking with you."

Shunsui dismissed the First lieutenant and bid him adieu before tilting his head back with a sigh. Sasakibe and Shuriken were so different, but they both had that same unconditional love for Yamamoto. Shunsui adored the man as well, obviously, and though he gave Yamamoto hell most days, Shunsui wasn't sure if he held anyone else in such high regard.

While walking out of the First barracks and heading towards his home, Shunsui found himself quite grateful for Sasakibe. Had Shunsui spoken with Yamamoto, he would have received a rather cruel lecture about how he needed to focus more on his work and less on personal affairs. He'd also scold Shuriken and Urahara, he was sure, and while such an image would have brought comfort to most in such a jealous state, it did nothing for Shunsui.

He didn't want Shuriken to be sad, or hurt, or angry. Shunsui, above all else, wanted Shuriken to be happy; the possibility of someone else giving her the kind of happiness she deserved, though, was agonizing. If there had ever been any doubt in Shunsui's mind about just _how much_ he loved the blue-eyed woman, they had been laid to rest as soon as she and Urahara started getting along.

The rational part of Shunsui told him that, eventually, the jealousy wouldn't bother him anymore. That one day, if things continued as they were, he would be able to see Shuriken and Urahara together without a hole forming in the place where his heart had been. However, Shunsui didn't _want_ to be rational at the moment. He wanted to suffer, to marinate in his distress until something snapped him out of it.

Upon arriving at his home, Shunsui didn't hesitate in going directly to his room. If Lisa bothered to check on his whereabouts, he didn't figure it would be hard for her to find him; her first stop would be the First Division, and when she realized he wasn't there - and that he certainly wasn't with Shuriken - she would likely show up here.

He had to get his mind in the right place before Saturday, because if he didn't, he wind up saying things that he would regret. Shunsui hated feeling such a way, so melancholy and unlike himself.

 _Oh well,_ Shunsui slid into bed with a jug of sake in his hand. As he lied on his back, his eyes lazily scanned his ceiling. _I'm allowed to be upset, right?_ Of course he was.

At the end of the day, Shuriken was a grown woman and whatever choice she made, Shunsui would come to support her. However, as Shunsui began to drink his workday away, Shuriken said farewell to Urahara before closing the door of her office with an annoyed sigh.

Shuriken wasn't sure what was going on with Shunsui, but she wished that he would actually talk to her about it. The possibility of him being jealous was just foolish to Shuriken, who felt as though she'd been waiting forever for the brunette to make a serious move. Nothing was more foolish, though, than the way that Shuriken and Shunsui handled their feelings for each other.

The ones that made them suffer most, you see, were themselves.


	11. 'bold'

Shuriken slid Umi no Okami back into its sheathe as a long, hefty breath left her body. Parts of the First Division training grounds around her were soaked in Okami's water, while other sections had been fried by the lightning sent forth from Sasakibe's Gonryomaru. The lieutenant approached Shuriken with a proud smile upon his lips, a sight that brought immense glee to her heart.

The past few days hadn't been easy on Shuriken, and instead of letting herself become overwhelmed, she had decided to put all of that energy into something worthwhile - her bankai training. When she had begun to feel as if her emotions were all over the place, she had called upon Sasakibe, asking him to once more lend her a hand.

While she had begun to quite enjoy the company of Urahara, Shuriken's thoughts had been plagued by Shunsui. The last time that they had seen one another, when he had come to the First to deliver some surely meaningless paperwork, Shunsui hadn't been cheerful, nor had he been willing to stay and speak to her as he normally would.

He wasn't acting like himself and it was driving Shuriken up the wall. By now, she hoped, Shunsui's mind had been put back in the right place. If not, dinner with them, Jushiro, and Urahara in a few hours was going to be ridiculously awkward.

"I believe this is it, Shuriken," Sasakibe said as he placed both hands on the woman's shoulders. It wasn't often that so much emotion was present on the man's face, but his handsome features were alight in this sincere moment. "Although you have yet to achieve bankai, you are closer now than ever before. There is nothing more I have to teach you; from here on out, all of your progress is in the hands of you and your Umi no Okami."

"Thank you for everything, lieutenant," Shuriken cracked a grin as she met his gaze. "I'm very grateful for all of the help you've given me."

"You've no reason to thank me," Sasakibe shook his head. "You and your zanpakuto are strong, and I will always be willing to lend you a hand when you need it," He then released a small chuckle while dropping his hands back down to his side. "We are the ones most in charge of defending the Head Captain. There is no one else who I would be willing to put as much trust in as I do you."

Sasakibe wasn't a man who put his feelings on display very often and Shuriken wasn't about to take that for granted. She lightly bumped his shoulder with her fist while saying, "You're right; we're in this together," Shuriken paused a moment before adding, "Besides, when the time comes, I can't have you make a fool out of me by saving the old man before I can. And if I can't do that, then I'll at least have to play the best supporting role I can for you. That, I suppose, will be good enough."

When an even larger, more wholesome laugh came from Sasakibe, Shuriken looked at him with a puzzled expression. She wasn't sure when the last time that she had heard such a sound erupt from _him_ was.

"You remind me so much of Tahara sometimes, Shuriken! For a moment, I could've sworn you were him," Sasakibe said as he began leading the way back to the First Division barracks. Shuriken followed after him, one hand resting on the hilt of Umi no Okami and the other on her waist. "He would be as proud of you as the Head Captain and I are, you know that, don't you?"

Shuriken's heart tugged in her chest at such mentions of her father, and the tears that began to form in her eyes were against her own will. However, unlike the younger Shuriken who would've been unable to stop herself from sobbing at such thoughts of Tahara, Shuriken was now able to fight through the wave of emotions that threatened to overtake her.

"I'd hope so!" Shuriken gave a laugh of her own. "I don't know how I'd live with myself if I thought I was bringing shame to the Natazaki name." After all, she was rebuilding the Natazaki reputation on her own following the erasure of its history for her sake. If Shuriken really _was_ as much like her father as Sasakibe claimed, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she could do just that.

-

Shuriken had been waiting outside of the designated restaurant for the night's meal for approximately ten minutes when the first of her companions joined her. After training with Sasakibe earlier in the day, Shuriken had spent a considerable amount of time at home relaxing in the comfort of her own bathtub; due in large part to the nature of her zanpakuto, Shuriken always felt the most at ease when in water. As the sweat and grime from her work had washed away, Shuriken's muscles - and soul - had been soothed by the warm water around her.

In fact, she hadn't _really_ wanted to leave the tub. As soon as Shuriken had finished cleaning herself, her mind drifted to Shunsui and the mood that he had been in as of late and it momentarily sapped the energy from her. Did she _really_ want to deal with that, if it turned out that he still wasn't acting like himself? Shuriken couldn't get the look that he shot her as he left her office that day out of her head _._

Now though, as Urahara greeted her with the same, dopey grin that she had once been infuriated by, Shuriken found herself glad that she had pushed herself out of her house. While Shunsui brought her heart frustration and confusion, Urahara seemed to bring her some sort of happiness.

"Hey there, Shuri," Urahara was cheerful, as usual. "I've got to say, you're looking as beautiful as ever tonight!"

His flirtatious words made Shuriken's chest tingle, but she'd be lying if she said that this handsome blond had _any_ chance of making her feel how Shunsui did.

"It's nice to see you too, Urahara," She gave the man a smirk. Instead of his normal Soul Reaper attire, he wore a simple - albeit odd - green kimono with no markings on it. Shuriken had to admit, green was definitely Urahara's color. "Most guys would look like a raw head of cabbage in a color like that, but you actually pull it off."

"I've impressed you, but I still can't get you to call me by my first name," Urahara's tone was whiny, but his smile never faltered. "What am I going to have to do to get you to change that?"

"Who's to say?" Shuriken said nonchalantly. Her arms and hands raised in a shrugging motion as she added, "It's much more fun to watch you squirm in annoyance than to give you what you want."

"You're awful bold when your friends aren't around, Shuri," Urahara's voice was almost like a purr as he leaned in closer to the woman, to the point that their faces were nearly _too_ close.

"Seems like you're the same," Shuriken didn't back down, nor did she want Urahara to. "Is it because you just like proving my initial assumption that you were disrespectful wrong? That's kind of an asshole thing to do, having to be right all the time."

"Oh, it's not that," Urahara's grin widened, if such a thing were possible. "I just wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your best pals, that's all."

"Embarrass me?" Shuriken couldn't help but laugh; when met with a partially confused glance, she explained, "It's just hard to believe that you think such a thing is possible, when we've drank together already. I don't get embarrassed."

A blatant lie, but she maintained her confidence.

Yet it was at this point that Urahara stood back with a good natured smile upon his lips. _Why does he have to be so hot?_ "You never cease to amuse me, you know that?"

"The feeling is mutual," Shuriken said as if it were the most casual sentence in the world. As if _he_ were the one she longed for more than any other.

Urahara seemed so pleased with himself, something Shuriken couldn't help but imagine was quite dangerous. However, any further thoughts on the subject were halted when his expression changed to a rather apologetic one.

"So, uh, I'll tell the captains when they arrive, but I'm going to have to bail out a little early tonight," Urahara began, a hand sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "See, Hiyori's really been on my case about not doing enough around the barracks and-"

Shuriken shook her head as she cut him off. "You don't owe me any explanation. If you've got something going on with your squad, that's always more important than us," The duties of a Soul Reaper, especially those of a captain, came first. "Always."

"I'm sure not _everything_ would be more important that _you_ ," Urahara tried to flirt, but the look that Shuriken sent him made him chuckle nervously. She wasn't about to hear any arguments on the matter, no matter how good-looking this man was or how accustomed she had become to his presence. "Ah... Right, work comes first. Always."

"Exactly," Shuriken appeared serious, but she was truthfully rather amused. It seemed he _did_ know when he'd lost a fight.

Before they could get much further into their conversation, Shuriken's gaze soon spotted the familiar forms of her two best friends approaching from the distance. As they drew nearer, she once more noticed the same, _aggravating_ look on Shunsui's face; apparently his mood had _not_ improved, and if anything, it had been made _worse_.

Lovely.

"Good evening, captains!" Urahara didn't waste any time in greeting the pair once they reached them. "As I was just telling Shuri here, I'm not going to be able to stay as long as I'd like to tonight, because duties call back in my division. However, I'm super excited to be joining you three for dinner!"

Shuriken momentarily wondered if Urahara had an off-switch, or if he was this energetic all of the time. In the odd week or so that they had known each other, she'd never known him to behave differently.

"That's completely fine," Jushiro smiled at Urahara, though Shuriken detected a bit of unease behind his kind exterior. At least, she _thought_ she did; Shuriken rationalized that, with Shunsui being in his mood, she could be a bit paranoid of something being up with Jushiro, too. "We understand. Whenever you've got to leave, please, don't let us hold you back."

How blessed Shuriken was to have Jushiro, the sweet man that he was.

"I think you guys are on the same brainwave, because that's pretty much what Shuri told me!" Urahara laughed and Jushiro joined along.

Shunsui remained quiet the entire time, and Shuriken found herself staring rather intently at him until he finally caught her eye. Much to Shuriken's chagrin, Shunsui looked away almost immediately.

 _What the hell did I do to him?_ Shuriken was beginning to get frustrated. _I don't remember shoving a stick up his ass._

"Well, no use in standing around out here all night," Who did Shunsui think he was fooling with that blatantly forced chipper tone in his voice? "It'd be a shame for us to waste Captain Urahara's time without letting him eat."

"I _am_ pretty hungry," Urahara playfully went along with Shunsui's act. For all intents and purposes, Shunsui and Urahara should be getting along without a single problem, but it seemed as if only one of them was putting forth the effort.

While walking into the restaurant alongside the three men, Shuriken could just _feel_ the awkward tension between her and Shunsui. If things were going to be like this all evening, maybe Shuriken really would have been better off just staying home.

-

"I'll see you all later! Thanks again for letting me fourth-wheel!" Urahara called as he left the trio to themselves once more. Shuriken watched him walk away, momentarily wondering if she should go ahead and call it a night, too. That would certainly be easier than doing what she knew she _needed_ to do.

But alas, the aggravation that had been brewing in Shuriken was too much to ignore, and so as soon as Urahara was out of sight - and earshot - the woman turned to Shunsui. He hadn't spoken more than a couple of words to her all evening and she was, understandably, pissed.

"What the fuck is your problem, Shunsui?" From the corner of her eye, Shuriken noticed Jushiro wince at her tone of voice. The brunette in question, however, looked at Shuriken with the most infuriating look of confusion that she had ever seen.

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about," _Of course you don't_. "I'm totally fine, Ri."

"Don't give me that bullshit," Shuriken hissed. Were she not, well, _herself_ , Shuriken's voice would be quite a bit louder; however, they were in public, and the last thing she needed was the curious eyes of drama-crazed strangers. "You're not acting like yourself."

"I think I've been quite 'me' lately, wouldn't you say, Ju?" The awkward look that came to Jushiro's face as Shunsui turned to him pained Shuriken.

"Please, don't involve me in this. I'd rather you two not fight at all, especially not _here_ ," Jushiro's brows furrowed as his green gaze shifted between Shunsui and Shuriken.

"We're not fighting," Shunsui insisted, waving his hand in a dismissive - yet arrogant - manner. "We're just talking, right?"

"I wouldn't call this talking, when I'm asking questions that you refuse to answer," Shuriken could feel her heart beat quicken in her chest as she spoke; was it anger overwhelming her now, or something else? "It's really similar to the way you've not been talking to me for days now, or how you've barely even laid eyes on me this entire evening."

Her sharp tongue seemed to be enough to get Shunsui to do just that - to look at her. His typically alluring gray eyes were clouded, and Shuriken knew for a fact that he was - more or less - sober. _Please, just talk to me._ She silently pleaded.

"Listen, I'm telling you that I'm fine," Shunsui _laughed_ , a sound that harmed Shuriken instead of comforting her. "My, I think something must have gotten into _you_ , Ri, because it seems like you're-"

"Shunsui," The way in which Shuriken spoke his name was soft yet serious. Their eyes met once more, and there was a pleading look on her face that didn't come around often. She was at a loss; in all of their years of friendship, Shunsui had never been _this_ stubborn. They'd argued and fought in the past, but they were usually able to settle things once they actually sat and talked things out. Neither one of them was always in the right and while both were terribly stubborn at times, they _could_ admit to being wrong. "Come on."

To break eye contact, Shunsui pulled his hat down so that it covered most of his face. She'd seen him shy away from all sorts of people over the years - teachers, scorned lovers, _Yamamoto_ \- but he'd never been this way with _her_. Nothing about the way Shunsui was treating her made any sense and she hated it.

"I'm sorry, Shuriken," The blunt, out-of-character way that Shunsui said her name - her _full_ first name, at that - caused Shuriken's face to fall. "I've really not got anything else to say at the moment. I'm sure you can understand."

 _I_ don't _understand, Shunsui. That's the problem._

"... I guess that's that, then," Shuriken didn't even try to hide her heartache with frustration as she dug into her pockets and pulled out enough money to pay for her meal. She'd only eaten about half of it, but really, she wasn't feeling all that hungry anymore. Most of her appetite had left when Shuriken first saw Shunsui on this evening. "I should probably make sure that the training grounds got straightened up earlier, after Chojiro and I went wild."

The woman hadn't mentioned anything about how her training session with her lieutenant that day had gone, regardless of the immense amount of pride she had felt only a few hours ago. Shuriken was still proud of herself and what she had accomplished, but when Shunsui was in such a way, Shuriken struggled to focus on something _that_ important to her.

Shuriken loved Shunsui with every fiber of her being, and she wanted nothing more than for him to just _realize_ that. If he did, he'd be more fragile with her heart, wouldn't he? He wouldn't just push her out in the cold, as he was doing now?

"Shuri..." Shuriken wanted to look at Jushiro, but how could she, when his tone alone was so hard to hear? "Are you sure you want to leave, too?"

"You guys will be fine without me," She stretched as she stood, and for another moment more, those blue eyes searched for gray. Shunsui hadn't moved, though, and to others, he was sure to even appear as though he were sleeping. But he was wide awake, Shuriken knew this, and she _so badly_ wanted him to speak up and stop her.

To ask her to stay. To raise his hat and give her that same, goofy grin that had captivated her heart when she was so much younger than she refused to admit she was now.

Instead, Shunsui gave her nothing more than a lazy wave of his hand in farewell and a jaded, "If you wanted to spend more time with Captain Urahara, you could've just said so. Tell him 'hi' for us, will you?"

Shuriken opened her mouth to speak, but she soon closed it with a sigh. _What's the point?_ Without sparing another glance at either of her friends, the woman - with the sort of composure that could only come from someone in the First Division - left the restaurant in a hurry.

Jushiro turned to Shunsui when she was gone, his dark eyebrows pushed together. "I know that you're hurting, Shun, but acting this way isn't going to solve anything."

Shunsui shrugged indifferently as he leaned back in his seat after placing his hat on the table, near the meal that Shuriken had been picking at. Jushiro was right - of course he was, when _wasn't_ he? - but that didn't make the situation any easier.

-

When Shuriken had left dinner with her friends, she wasn't entirely sure what her plan for the night was; really, all she knew was that far too many emotions were welling within her. Thus, Shuriken had wound up on a chaotic quest to amuse herself on that Saturday night.

"Hey, you okay over there? You've not said anything since we finished, and I have to say, you're making me _really_ self-conscious with your silence."

First, Shuriken had found herself at home, drowning her feelings in alcohol and releasing every kido spell she could think of onto the trees in her backyard; it wasn't the _safest_ thing to do, but it sure beat using her squad's training facilities and hearing the old man scold her for being so careless. Or emotional. Or sensitive.

However, that hadn't done the trick. Upon realizing that she didn't have nearly as many drinks at home as she had thought she did, Shuriken wandered out once again. This time, though, she wound up travelling a long way from home; that is to say, a division _far_ from the First. Shuriken supposed it had been her subconscious that willed her towards the Twelfth, despite the rational side of her not wanting to bother its charming new captain.

There was another possibility, but Shuriken didn't want to think that she was petty enough to seek out Urahara _just_ because Shunsui had mentioned him. To somehow get back at the man she _truly_ loved for making her heart feel so many different, conflicting ways.

"You should take my exhaustion as a compliment," Shuriken donned a smile as she reached over onto the nearby nightstand. The jar of sake that she had brought back to Urahara's room was just as welcoming now as it had been before they had so primitively fucked in the bed which she now lied, naked and on her stomach with only part of a sheet covering her form. Shuriken certainly wasn't drunk, ah, but she sure _wished_ she was.

"I _would_ , if you would look over here at me for just a moment," Urahara placed a hand between Shuriken's shoulder blades, a feeling that sent a chill down her spine. One long, slender finger trailed from one side of her back to the other before eventually making its way to her right upper arm. There, Shuriken had tattooed the First's representative flower, the chrysanthemum; opposite, on her left arm, she had its logo. Urahara traced the design of the chrysanthemum as Shuriken drank her sake.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still getting my head in the right place," She said after placing the jug back down on the nearby table. "That's a solid excuse, right?" Shuriken gave a small laugh as she rolled over onto her side, so that she faced Urahara. In the process, she had pulled the sheet up so that it covered everything but her head and part of her neck.

"Aw, now I can't see your cute little tattoos," Urahara whined while trying to pull the sheet back down. Shuriken kicked him while still remaining covered, but he didn't act as though anything had happened. It wasn't as if Shuriken had been trying to harm him, anyway.

"I can't imagine you'd be nearly as fun if you were half as innocent as you tried to make yourself out to be," Shuriken teased as, if even just a little bit, her happiness began to return. "How many women actually fall for that trick, by the way?"

"Do you want the real answer, or the one that would undoubtedly make me seem like a sex god in your eyes?" Urahara chuckled as he moved his hand away from the sheet and up towards Shuriken's face. The gentle graze of his fingertips against her forehead as he pushed locks of her long, navy-colored hair from her face was the softest that she'd had after sex in ages. "'Cause I'll gladly give you whichever one you'd prefer."

"Hmm," Shuriken hummed thoughtfully. "Honesty _is_ the best policy, isn't it?"

Urahara sighed dramatically. "I only gave you the option because I thought you'd want me to seem super-cool, not like a loser."

"If you're a loser, what's that make me?" She questioned.

" _Uh_ ," Urahara paused, his gaze momentarily leaving the woman and turning towards his ceiling. Turning back to her he said quizzically, "A _very_ pretty lady with shitty standards?"

Shuriken laughed. "I guess that's better than saying I'm desperate."

"No," Urahara leaned closer to Shuriken as he grinned from ear to ear. "I think you made that very clear yourself by the way you-"

 _THUMP!_ Shuriken's forearm connected with Urahara's mouth in a way that was meant more to shut him up than cause pain. "I'm aware of what I did, Kisuke."

"So aggressive," Urahara hummed in mock disappointment as he removed Shuriken's arm from his lips. " _Hey_ , now! Wait a minute!" He sounded almost like a child as a realization struck him. "You called me 'Kisuke'! Look at that! I guess that means you must _really_ like me, Shuri!"

"Did I? I can't seem to recall," Shuriken spoke in a playfully confused tone.

"Oh, come now," Simply by the look that had come to his face, Shuriken knew that Urahara was about to test his luck. "Surely you're not getting to be _that_ forgetful in your older age!"

If there was one thing that Natazaki Shuriken hated, it was to be reminded of the fact that, despite her ever-youthful and spry appearance, she _had_ gotten older.

As such, the force with which she kicked Urahara's shin - a reflex that she had no control of what-so-ever, she _swears_ \- was enough to make the man release a noise that was some sort of ungodly mixture between a hiss and a laugh. He knew exactly what he had done, and judging by the amused grin that he now wore so unashamedly, her reaction was just what he had been looking for.

"Say such things again and I'll aim higher," Shuriken warned, though the gravity of her threat was yet to be determined. When Urahara opened his mouth to speak again, undoubtedly to make another perverted remark, Shuriken silenced him with an icy glare.

After this, a silence momentarily fell over the two; however, it wasn't completely uncomfortable to Shuriken. She took the time to sit up and, finally, begin to gather her clothes, the ones that she tossed aside so carelessly only a brief time ago. Urahara began to partially dress himself as well, though his choice to remain shirtless was undoubtedly made for her viewing pleasure.

"Hey, can I be honest with you for a moment, Shuriken?" Urahara spoke as she slipped her shirt back over her shoulders; the last part of her clothing that she had to put on.

"Fire away," Shuriken said. She looked away from the man as she grabbed her sake from the nightstand, the anxiety she received from his words having reminded her that she was _way_ too sober for all of this.

While taking a swig from her jug, the last thing that Shuriken had expected was for two strong arms to wrap around her from behind. Regardless, she found herself relaxing against Urahara's bare chest as she drank and he spoke.

"I never thought I had any sort of chance with you when we first met," He admitted as he held her close. "I mean, with the rumors about you and Shunsui-"

"What?" Shuriken didn't mean to interrupt Urahara, not when it seemed as though he was _actually_ saying something kind and thoughtful, but she couldn't help herself. "What rumors?"

"Huh?" Urahara seemed as surprised as Shuriken was. "The hot gossip around the Seriete is that the two of you have been fooling around for years. In fact, there are even some people that think you guys are hitched, you just don't want to make it public."

Shuriken stood there, bottle to her lips, as she tried to imagine where in the hell Urahara would have heard such a thing. She herself never had, and if Shunsui or Jushiro knew of the rumors, they'd never told her about it.

"That's weird," She finally said, puzzled. "I guess I really do miss out on a lot of things, since I rarely leave the First. No one in my division would be dumb enough to start or spread such bullshit."

Or rather, no one in the First would risk such behaviors getting back to Shuriken, and they _definitely_ didn't want Sasakibe or Yamamoto to catch on. Shuriken herself would be a force to be reckoned with, but hell hath no fury like a brother or father scorned.

"I guess I just hang around the wrong crowd!" Urahara chuckled for a moment before he leaned closer to Shuriken. One of his hands left its position on her hip and moved up to brush her currently less-than-elegant hair away from her neck. "I really did think that you were unobtainable though, Shuri. I didn't think I had a chance, especially not compared to him."

He then began to place a trail of soft kisses from her ear and down her neck, and while his touch did excite her, Shuriken carefully removed herself from his hold. She had already decided on leaving for the night - where _was_ her mind, anyway? - but his mention of Shunsui only solidified that.

Shuriken had no regrets about what she and Urahara had done, as she had enjoyed herself _immensely_ , but she would be lying if she said that Shunsui hadn't crossed her mind at all while the blond fucked her. Hell, it wasn't even fair to say that it was the first time that she had thought of Shunsui while having sex with _any_ fellow, let alone Urahara.

"You're welcome to stay the night, if you want to," Urahara said as he gave Shuriken a smile. The look of fondness on his face brought such a tingle to Shuriken's heart, even when it ached for another man. "Or I can walk you back to the First, if you'd prefer that?"

He was sweet, sweeter than Shuriken was able to handle in her current state. She appreciated his words regardless.

"No thanks," Shuriken declined, sealing her sake up once more. She was beginning to feel a decent buzz, but it was nothing compared to what she wanted to experience. "I'll be okay."

After a split-second of worrying that she could have seemed rude or appeared as though she was no longer interested in Urahara after they'd boned, Shuriken leaned up and placed a quick, chaste kiss upon his lips. Though it certainly wasn't a surprise to anyone, Shuriken wasn't the best at dealing with her emotions.

"Goodnight, Kisuke," Shuriken gave him a smile that he met with one of his own.

"Ah, that's such a sweet sound, coming from you," Urahara said as he placed a finger underneath her chin, so that he could tilt her head up just a bit. His eyes, similar in color to Shunsui's, were bright and full of adoration. "Goodnight, Shuriken," Urahara kissed her once again, this time with a bit more _oomph_ behind it. Honoring her wishes, though, Urahara pulled back before things became heated once again.

What a gentleman.

Shuriken took her time returning to the First Division that night, her feet pattering against the sidewalks between divisions with little urgency in her steps. Her gaze would occasionally flicker to the beautiful night sky above her, or sometimes, she'd drink more from her jug. Something in Shuriken's subconscious must've been keeping an eye on her, because instead of quickly finishing the rest of it and getting her drunk, she drank on it slowly to avoid such a thing.

 _I wonder what he's doing tonight,_ Shuriken thought as she passed through the Eighth. _Did he go out to the bar after he and Ju finished dinner? Or did he just head home?_ The pain in her heart had returned, even worse now than before. _Dammit, Shunsui... What's going on with you?_

She was hurt more than anything, though this certainly wasn't a problem that would be solved overnight. One way or another, Shuriken would have to get Shunsui to talk to her.

Though Shunsui continued to plague her thoughts, Urahara had weaseled his way into them as well. In fact, it was Urahara that was on Shuriken's mind as she finally drifted to sleep after she - eventually - made it back to her home.

At this moment in time, Shuriken found it almost impossible that she and Shunsui would ever have the sort of life together that she had longed for, a life so full of happiness and love. The flirtatious words they'd exchanged over the years were all for show, she'd decided, and he really _didn't_ share her feelings for him - at least, this was what she now assumed.

Shunsui didn't feel that way about Shuriken, and she was beginning to tell herself that such a thing was okay and that it wouldn't bother her forever. That she didn't take this supposed 'rejection' like a gash through her chest.

The best way to move on was to find someone new, wasn't it? Shuriken considered herself lucky to have Urahara, and for the first time in her life, she began to seriously entertain the idea of falling in love with another man. Such things were far out of her control, but Shuriken hated the idea of something so important being decided by fate; she preferred to believe that she had some sort of input in _who_ she fell in love with and when, if necessary, she found someone new.

It was a wonderful notion in theory, sure, but Shuriken would learn that even if she wanted to, she couldn't tear her heart away from Shunsui's hands. Upon taking a closer look at her own palm, she'd eventually find that Shunsui's had been with her all along.


	12. best friend

Throughout his life, Shunsui wouldn't say that everything had been easy for him; he'd been given a better start than most, sure, but Shunsui's life had never been the perfect masterpiece that some surely viewed it as.

Shunsui was from a clan of lesser nobility, this much was common knowledge. From a young age, both his mother and father had high hopes for Shunsui, the boy who wanted nothing more than to enjoy the company of those who brought him joy. He was easy to please and despite his mischievous tendencies, Shunsui was extremely bright and his potential seemed to be limitless; that, you see, was a large part of the reason he was forced into becoming a Soul Reaper in the first place. His older brother had flourished as one, so it was only natural that Shunsui follow in his footsteps.

At least, that was how the Kyoraku saw it.

Most of the pride of their family had always gone into Shunsui's older brother, the man who seemed to have everything in order. Where Shunsui was lax and lazy, his brother was focused and hard-working. Early on Shunsui learned that, regardless of what he did, his parents would still compare him to his brother; that he would never be _that_ good in their eyes.

While Shunsui tried his best to remain unbothered by his parents, especially after he moved out of the Kyoraku home and into the Soul Reaper Academy dorms, they often plagued his thoughts. Whenever Shunsui would get into trouble - which only really happened when he and Shuriken became a bit too adventurous or they had a prank go horribly wrong - he could expect to find a scolding letter from his parents in the mail a few days down the line.

Jushiro had tried only once to mend the bond between Shunsui and his family, but after seeing that he'd done much more harm than good, the white-haired male dropped the subject. Shunsui was grateful for that.

Because of his status and the women that so willingly presented themselves to him, Shunsui struggled to properly understand how relationships worked. The man put so much of himself into showering those he cared for with love - whether it be platonic or otherwise - that you would expect him to be a natural at such things.

However, Shunsui had never really had a _true_ romantic relationship. It sounded silly on paper, considering _who_ he was, but that didn't change the truth of the matter. There were women that Shunsui had referred to as his girlfriends over the years, sure, but none of them had ever really captured his heart or his attention. More often than not they were sexy little things that Shunsui wanted to fuck more than once, ones who aimed to marry into money; Shunsui preferred his girlfriends to be like that, really.

If they only cared about his money or his status, then they didn't care about _him_. And if they didn't care about him, then Shunsui didn't have to feel bad whenever he eventually broke their heart. For all of his philanderer ways, though, Shunsui _did_ love women, and seeing them cry wasn't a pleasant sight. He was usually pretty good at getting an idea of who would take a romantic interest in him after their first night together, and those gals, no matter how tempting they were, were always sent on their way once they were finished.

Those girls had love in their hearts and if he were to lead them on, to make them believe that he was interested in anything _other_ than their bodies, Shunsui knew that he'd be fucking their mind and heart up instead of just their pussy. That sort of thing, Shunsui believed, should be avoided if at all possible.

In short, Shunsui was best at approaching women who meant nothing to him. There was really only one woman who he struggled to make a true advance on, no matter how much he willed himself onward. The woman whom he had unwillingly given his own heart, despite knowing that - for the longest time - romance was the last thing on her mind.

Shunsui had made a mistake. He had taken far too long to confess his feelings for his love, and because of that, he was left in the dust. A shell of the man he'd once been.

At least, that was what he felt like.

There was a part of Shunsui that wished he _could_ just distance himself from Shuriken, his best friend and the undisputed love of his life. That he could just move on and learn to love someone else. He didn't want to completely lose her, no; such a thing would be unbearable for Shunsui. Rather, he would just prefer to put some space between them until he had time to process her new relationship with Urahara - or, whatever the hell that was.

Perhaps such a thing would be possible one day, but today was _not_ that day. No, how could it be, when Shunsui was stuck in her division for a captain's meeting?

It didn't help that Shunsui found himself with Urahara to his right, based on the way that the captain's stood. The brunette wished rather selfishly that they'd hired a new leader for the Tenth already, after the previous one's untimely demise. At least then, Shunsui wouldn't have to be so close to the man who had caused him such distress.

"... and so, do I hear any suggestions as to what we should do for this festival?" Yamamoto's voice boomed throughout the room. Shunsui stood with his eyes closed and his hat pulled down over his face, which wasn't necessarily an uncommon occurrence during these meetings, but his attention was anywhere but there. "Do keep in mind that we are still several months away, and that it will take place during the winter."

Yamamoto had decided that the squads would benefit from a large get-together at the end of the year. Many seated officials in each of the divisions were new to their positions, and with the turnover of captains over the past few years, the Head Captain believed that a festival of sorts would be a great means of raising morale.

"How about a formal dance, for those that are interested?" Jushiro was the first to speak up. "That would be a wonderful way to end the night."

"I second that idea," Unohana agreed. "There are many men and women who I believe would be very excited for such a thing. We could even have some of the best cooks from each division work together to create a huge buffet. Perhaps it could be led by your third seat, Head Captain? She's quite the chef, isn't she?"

_Of course she'd show up in the conversation one way or another_. Shunsui thought childishly. However, before Yamamoto could reply on the topic, a loud, aggravated grunt from beside of Jushiro attracted everyone's attention.

"Is this _really_ all you called us here for?!" The current 'Kenpachi,' a large man also known as Kiganjo, was not too pleased. Shunsui turned to look at the Eleventh captain, who had his arms crossed over his chest. "The Eleventh Division isn't interested."

With a lazy wave of his hand, Kiganjo made his exit from the room. Truthfully, the remaining captains were more surprised that Kiganjo had shown up in the first place than that he'd left so early on into the meeting. Kiganjo was immensely powerful, as all Kenpachi were, but his lazy tendencies put even Shunsui to shame.

"Arrogant fool," Kuchiki muttered from Shunsui's left side. "Must we allow that brute to do as he pleases, Head Captain?" Kuchiki Ginrei was an older man, older than Shunsui by a considerable amount, and he had zero tolerance for those who showed so little respect for their peers and superiors. Who would've thought that a Kuchiki and Kenpachi wouldn't get along?

"Do not worry about him, Captain Kuchiki," Yamamoto wasn't phased by Kiganjo's departure from the meeting. "If the Eleventh Division does not wish to participate, that is their own loss."

"No matter what we do, we've got to have some kickin' music playing while it's going on," Though Shunsui had once more closed his eyes, he didn't _need_ to look at Hirako to know that he was giving a toothy grin. "I volunteer myself to be in charge of that."

"I don't think that's very fair," Similarly, Shunsui could tell that Rojuro was pouting. "If anyone is going to select the music for our festival, I'd say that I'm much more qualified for that position."

"Ah, I don't think that's really the case," Hirako didn't sound too bothered. "I think I'd do a much better job."

"What?! That's not fair, Captain Hirako!"

" _Shush_!" Yamamoto silenced the two bickering captains. "Captains Hirako and Otoribashi, you will put your childish disputes away and work together in order to choose the music for the day."

Neither one of them were happy about it, but they knew better than to argue with Yamamoto. Who could blame them?

-

Shunsui didn't contribute much to the planning of the festival, but he _did_ pay a decent amount of attention to the task distribution. The Eighth would be in charge of decorating the ballroom along with the Thirteenth, a rather generous move on Yamamoto's part. Squads One and Four were to take care of the food and refreshments, while, of course, Squads Three and Five would be handling the music and entertainment for the dance.

The remaining squads were to come up with booths for the festival, though they had to be approved by Yamamoto beforehand.

As the meeting dismissed, Shunsui wasted no time and scooting towards the door. He had wanted to sneak out of the room - and the First Division - without being caught in a conversation with _anyone_ , but such a thing was not possible. Of course it wasn't.

"You should go talk to her, Shun," How was Shunsui supposed to get mad at Jushiro, of all people? "Things won't ever improve if you don't."

"Why don't you go see her for me, Ju?" Shunsui faked a laugh. "She'd be happy to see you, I'm sure."

Shunsui doubted the same could be said about her feelings for him at the moment.

"I can't," Jushiro shook his head. Shunsui had to look away from his dear friend, because the scolding burn in his deep green eyes was too much to bear. "I've got a meeting with a wonderful young man to see if he would be interested in being my lieutenant."

"Is it the same guy you mentioned a while back?" Shunsui enjoyed the change in the conversation. "The one you said you were so high on?"

"Yes!" Jushiro momentarily beamed. "I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but- _Wait_ , you're not pulling the wool over my eyes, Shunsui. We're not talking about me here, we're talking about you and Shuri."

"Trouble in paradise, huh?" Hirako's teasing voice would have normally been welcomed by Shunsui, but now, it was comparable to nails on a chalkboard. "I thought you and Natazaki were a match made in heaven!"

"They are, he's just not willing to get his head out of his ass long enough to fix things between them," _Really, Lisa?_ Shunsui shouldn't have been surprised when his lieutenant vaulted herself over the railings and joined the group of captains as they walked. "Maybe you guys can talk some sense into him, because he's sure as shit not been listening to me."

"You really ought to show your captain more respect than that," Aikawa interjected himself into the conversation. Shunsui could feel that everything was getting out of hand _very_ quickly. "I _know_ you know better than that, lieutenant."

"If he's being such a pussy about stupid things like that, maybe she's got a point," Muguruma scoffed. "No disrespect intended, Kyoraku, but I thought you were smarter than that."

"Women aren't as easy to understand as you may think, Kensei," In most situations, Shunsui was known for his level head and incredibly admirable amount of patience; now, though, he was becoming increasingly irritated. "If you were in the position I'm in, you'd be singing a different tune."

"No, I don't think so," Muguruma's words made Shunsui's eye twitch, an action that was well-hidden beneath the shadow of his hat. "My lieutenant is a real pain in the ass, so I think I know a thing or two about women."

"Oh, are you saying that you and Lieutenant Kuna are in some sort of relationship that's dripping with sexual tension?" Shunsui couldn't even be bothered to scold Lisa; it seemed like Aikawa had him covered, though.

"You're _extremely_ out of line," Aikawa reprimanded Lisa. She huffed in frustration.

"Why would you think something stupid like that was going on?" Muguruma wasn't about to let such a comment slide. "Me and _Mashiro_?! That's fuckin' disgusting!"

"I'm not sure she feels that way. I've heard she quite fancies you, captain," Lisa said nonchalantly. "I guess it's possible I _could_ be wrong, though."

"No, you're definitely wrong," Muguruma scoffed.

"I don't know, I think she might have a point," Hirako interjected himself once again. "I'm not the most familiar with Lieutenant Kuna, but she's probably into you. Some ladies like that big, brooding moron type."

"Shut up, jackass," Muguruma growled. "I thought we were here to rag on Kyoraku, not me."

"I really don't think that all of this is necessary," Jushiro chuckled nervously as he tried to diffuse the situation. "This has gotten out of hand."

"You know, I really was under the impression that nothing could come between those two," Rojuro had been doing such an excellent job of staying quiet. "I suppose everyone has their rough patches, though."

"I _guess_ ," Hirako hummed.

Uncharacteristically, Shunsui flash-stepped away from his fellow captains without so much as even telling them goodbye. Jushiro would be able to handle whatever damage control was needed, he was sure; if not, whatever Lisa had to say would work, whether it be good or bad. Shunsui didn't much care either way.

Though instead of heading back to his own division as he knew he should've, Shunsui _did_ wind up at Shuriken's office. He needed to talk to her, no matter how hard it was for him to do.

As Shunsui raised a hand to knock on the door - something else that he rarely ever did; he was far more accustomed to just waltzing into Shuriken's office as if it were his own - sounds from the other side stopped him in his tracks. He couldn't decipher the words that were being said, but he recognized Urahara's voice instantly.

_Really, what's the point?_ Shuriken wouldn't talk to him, not the way that they needed to, with Urahara there.

More dejected now than ever, Shunsui once more used his advanced flash-step to escape. This time, though, he was on his way to the bar nearest the First Division. He'd been there many times with Shuriken and Jushiro over the years, so it was only natural _that_ was where he went to drown his sorrow.

-

"Kisuke? What are you doing here?" Shuriken looked up from the bowl of soup she had been enjoying as the blond male strolled so casually into her office. Before he could reply, realization struck her. "Shit, there was a captain's meeting today, wasn't there?"

She'd been so caught up in not only her paperwork but her thoughts, too, that it had completely slipped her mind.

"Don't sound so eager to see me," Urahara wore a grin as he took a seat in front of Shuriken. "I'd have come to talk to you regardless. I've missed you, Shuri."

"That's surprising," It wasn't, but Shuriken wasn't going to give him the validation he hoped for. Her lack of hesitance to tease him was an obvious sign of how fond she was of the man. It had been several days since their impromptu fuck and work had, more or less, consumed Shuriken since then. She assumed it had been the same for Urahara; or at least, she hoped it had been. Wouldn't it be her luck, to _finally_ start moving past Shunsui only to be shot down so quickly by Urahara? "I'm flattered."

"I'd honestly have come by sooner, but there's been a lot going on in the Twelfth as of late," Urahara said as he scratched at his stubbly chin. "I've been working on getting myself a third seat, someone who is going to be _very_ helpful with making my dreams for the division come true."

"What do you have in mind?" Shuriken asked, rather curious. It had to be something big if Urahara was going to bring someone in to help with it.

"Oh, that?" Urahara grinned widely. "That's a secret for now, but don't worry your pretty little head; you'll be one of the ' _first_ ' to know when it's all put together!" Urahara was proud of the pun he had made, but Shuriken was less impressed. Instead of giving him a reaction, she ate a big spoonful of her soup; this attracted Urahara's attention instantly. "Did you make that yourself?"

"I'm so sorry, I'm an ass!" Shuriken apologized. _Wonderful, Shuriken. Eat in front of the man who has had to miss lunch to talk to your old man. That's not a bitch move at all._ "You can have some, if you'd like. It's fresh off the stove."

"Man, it's no wonder Captain Unohana volunteered you as lead chef for the festival," Urahara released a dreamy sigh after taking a big whiff of Shuriken's soup - from a reasonable distance, of course. He wasn't _weird_.

"She - wait, festival?" Shuriken wasn't sure if she should be more confused by _Unohana_ 's praise or by the festival that Urahara had mentioned.

"Yeah! I'm sure the Head Captain will talk to you about it shortly," Urahara chuckled. "He's going to throw some sort of big get-together for all of the squads in the winter. That is, except for Squad Eleven, because their captain pissed him off."

"Sounds about right. They've never gotten along too well," Kiganjo wasn't the first Kenpachi that Shuriken had seen Yamamoto clash personalities with and she doubted he'd be the last. It was as if a pompous attitude was one of the requirements for becoming a Kenpachi. Shuriken did have to admit, though, that they were damn good fighters. "But enough about that," She shook her head. "Do you want something to eat?"

Shuriken would learn all about the festival later; the time that she had with Urahara was limited, and on top of that, she didn't want him to go hungry.

"I'm good, but I appreciate the offer," Urahara wore a sly grin as he leaned closer to Shuriken. She met him with steady eyes as she continued to eat, but truthfully, her cheeks had begun to heat up just a bit from the way he looked at her. "Instead, how about I take you out to dinner tonight? Just you and me and whatever your big, beautiful heart desires."

Though his tone was carefree, the obvious implication behind his words was that they wouldn't have Jushiro and Shunsui along with them. That this time, it'd be a bit more intimate, a bit more personal.

Most importantly, it meant that their hookup the other night wasn't just a one-time deal. Shuriken hated the rush of excitement that sent through her, the way that her lips tugged into a smirk.

"Who's to say I'm not busy?" Shuriken asked, if she had been offended. She had not.

"It's a possibility, but considering you've not told me to fuck off yet, I'm going to say you're available," Urahara replied cockily. To think, he already knew her so well! "So what do you say, Shuri? Are you interested?"

"I might be," Shuriken shrugged nonchalantly, a teasing gleam in her shiny blue eyes. "I guess you'll just have to swing by once the work day is over and see?"

"I guess I will," Urahara sent her a wink and Shuriken laughed. "But for now, I've got to go back to my division. Hiyori's probably throwing a fit because I've been gone so long!"

"That sounds like a personal problem. You might want to take care of that," Shuriken said, feeling almost guilty about the way this man sent a rush to her heart. When he stood to leave, she gave him a smile. "Bye, Kisuke."

"Until later, Shuri," Urahara paused hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure how to leave her. Instead of a hug or a kiss, the man opted to place his hand over hers for a quick second, just long enough to leave her missing his touch.

He went on his merry way while Shuriken was left to her soup. While she sat there, excited for her first proper date in recent memory, Shuriken couldn't help but to wish that Shunsui had come to see her either before or after the meeting.

But hey, it's not like she _really_ wanted to see his bitter ass anyway.

-

Shunsui had every intention of drinking his day away, but Lisa, the ever-thoughtful woman that she was, had different plans for him. Upon arriving at the bar he wished to drown his despair in, Shunsui was met by Lisa's pleasant face and the scolding of his life. She'd made logical points about how his behavior wasn't appropriate, about how he was certainly doing more harm than good to both Shuriken _and_ himself.

That didn't make it sting any less, though, and neither did their conversation on the way back to the Eighth Division barracks.

"I know that you don't really feel like talking to me about this anymore, but I still don't want you leaving work today so that you can drink yourself into a coma," Lisa sighed as she crossed her arms underneath her chest. She was trying her best to help Shunsui, but he wished that she'd spare him the effort.

"What do you suppose I do, then?" Thankfully, Shunsui's tone had at least lightened up. He knew that he was taking his frustrations out on Lisa and that wasn't fair to her. "Talking to her won't get me anywhere."

At least, that was what he expected. Shunsui's love for Shuriken was as much a curse as it was a blessing, it seemed.

"Have you _tried_ talking to her, though?" Lisa looked over at Shunsui, and while he didn't give a verbal response, the look on his face said it all. "You haven't, have you?" She scoffed.

"Of course not," Shunsui spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm not sure I could find a moment that she's alone if I wanted to. She spends all of her time with him anymore."

"I highly doubt either of them would object to the two of you having a bit of privacy to work this out, even _if_ they've truly started seeing each other. You're her best friend, captain, but if you continue on like this, you're going to mess that up. I know you don't want that," It wasn't often that Lisa spoke with such compassion in her voice, and such things were rarely - if ever - directed at Shunsui. Not only was Lisa trying her best to help Shunsui, she was making valid points. Everything that she'd just said was correct.

If Shunsui were to approach Shuriken and Urahara right that moment and ask to speak to Shuriken in private, neither of them would even bat an eye; at least, that would've been the case _normally_ , but the one thing that Lisa didn't seem to know was that Shuriken wasn't the most happy with Shunsui currently. He assumed that to still be the case, considering how she had left their dinner the other night.

That was _his_ fault and Shunsui would admit that. Shuriken had tried to talk to him but he hadn't been in the mood. Not that it was any excuse, it was just the honest answer.

"Well," Shunsui finally conceded. He looked towards the sky with one hand on the rim of his hat, so that he could tilt it back with his head. The sun wasn't setting yet, but it was clear that it was on its way down for the day. "I guess I _could_ go see Jushiro. I'd assume that by now, he's finished his meeting with that potential lieutenant of his."

"That's possible," Lisa nodded. Right when Shunsui dropped his guard, though, she grabbed him by the sleeve of his haori and began leading him towards, he assumed, the office. "But I have some things I need you to sign before the end of the day," She paused. "Don't worry, I'll take them to the First and I won't say anything to her," Lisa sighed. "That's your place and I wish you'd just get the balls to do it."

"Okay, okay," Shunsui whined, much in his usual fashion. The typical cheer in his voice wasn't there, but hey, it was a start, right? "I guess I can do that for you, since you asked so nicely."

Silence fell over the captain-lieutenant duo as they finished their journey back to the office, but before they stepped inside of it, Lisa looked up at Shunsui with the kind of support in her eyes that he truly needed.

"Everything's going to work itself out, as long as you get your head in the right place. Okay?" Lisa, awkwardly, patted Shunsui's upper arm. "Now get back in there and sign those papers for me!"

He did as he was told, but Shunsui couldn't stop a small smile from coming to his face. Lisa really was the best, wasn't she?

-

The work day drew to an end and Shunsui left the Eighth Division, and although he wasn't necessarily _happy_ , his mood was the best that it had been since everything had started between Shuriken and Urahara. His intention for his conversation with Jushiro was to get everything off his chest; while he _could_ share his feelings like that with Lisa, Shunsui would prefer not to. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lisa, it was just that he and Jushiro were considerably closer.

Jushiro was the only person that Shunsui, at this point, felt comfortable spilling his heart to. He had been there since the beginning and really, he was the only one who knew both Shunsui and Shuriken enough to give a proper analysis of the situation.

What Shunsui had _not_ expected was to run into the one man he wanted to see least while traveling to the Thirteenth. All Shunsui could do as Urahara approached him was force a smile; how could he not, when it seemed that Urahara was in such high spirits!

"Good evening, Captain Kyoraku!" Urahara greeted cheerfully. The man looked as though not even a horde of hollows could bring him down. "How're you on this lovely day?"

"Not too bad," Shunsui's lie was rather convincing, as he even chuckled after he spoke. "I'm just on my way to visit Jushiro and see how his lieutenant search went today."

"Oh, yeah!" Urahara was genuinely pleased to hear that. "Shuri was telling me about that. I hope that all went well for him, too. He's been without one for a while, hasn't he?"

"Yeah," Shunsui nodded. He searched his brain for an exact answer as far as years went, but whether it be due to Shunsui's foul mood or his desire to end this conversation as quickly as he could, nothing worked. "In fact, it's been so long that I can't even remember _how_ long ago it was."

"Send him my best regards," Urahara would be so much easier for Shunsui to dislike if he _wasn't_ so genuinely fucking nice. Shunsui agreed that he would, but the words that followed from Urahara made him uneasy. "Can I be serious with you for a minute, captain?"

"What's on your mind, son?" Shunsui asked, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that the conversation was taking the exact kind of turn that he had hoped it wouldn't.

"There aren't going to be any ill feelings between us because of what's going on with me and Shuriken, are there?" Until this point, Shunsui had only seen the cheerful, happy-go-lucky persona that Urahara portrayed so well. Now, though, Shunsui's fellow captain seemed a lot more down-to-earth and genuine. "I'm not asking that to try and imply that you're not mature enough to leave personal and professional matter separate, but I've felt like there's been some hostility between us and I want to make things right."

At first, Shunsui truly wasn't sure how to respond to Urahara. Everyone else around Shunsui had made it painfully clear that he was _not_ doing a good job at hiding his emotions, but Shunsui had tried - to some degree - to leave Urahara in the dark.

It wasn't that Shunsui hadn't done a well-enough job at masking his pain and frustrations to Urahara, it was just that the blond was far too observant. Shunsui's reply had to be well thought out and it had to be as close to genuine as possible. He decided to take all of the words that he would have gladly told any of Shuriken's past suitors, the ones who were never any threat for her affection, and add onto them.

"Whatever it is that you and her do in your own time isn't any of my business. I'm her friend, not her keeper. If the two of you want to fool around or fall in love, it'd be selfish of me to try and stop that," Shunsui wasn't about to blatantly admit his feelings for Shuriken to Urahara, but he'd sure as hell hint at them. "In fact, it's probably a good thing that she's got you, 'cause oh boy, she's sure dated some duds in the past."

"Are you sure?" Urahara's brows furrowed just the slightest bit as he stared at Shunsui, undoubtedly in an attempt to read him. "I really just don't want there to be any problems between any of us."

"Ah, you worry too much, Urahara!" Shunsui forced a laugh, though he made it sound as authentic as possible. "The only time you'd hear me knocking on your door would be if you were to break her heart," The light tone that Shunsui had been trying to create seemed to vanish instantly, as he met Urahara's questioning gaze with one that was both lax and intimidating. Shunsui was good at that sort of thing, you see - he could be not only so approachable but terrifying at the same time. He much preferred to _not_ exude such an aura, as it wasn't Shunsui's style, but things were different when she was involved. Yes, they were _always_ so different. "I'm a peaceful man by nature, but if you ever mistreat Shuriken, I'd be willing to put aside my own personal values."

The tension that Urahara had surely been trying to avoid filled the air for a moment as the two captains stood there, eyes locked and mouths shut. Shunsui had been careful in the way that he worded things, as he wasn't about to disrespect the man who was not only his equal in terms of rank, but the man that Shuriken seemed so fond of. If Shunsui came across as rude to Urahara and word got back to the navy-haired beauty, Shunsui would be in an even worse boat then than he was now.

Besides, if Urahara _were_ to hurt Shuriken, Shunsui wouldn't be the only one he'd have to worry about. Jushiro, Yamamoto, and Sasakibe would all jump to the woman's defense, regardless of the way that she would try and deny that her heart had been damaged. Shuriken wasn't the kind of gal to let others see her pain, not easily; if she gave Urahara her heart and he took advantage of that, on top of everything else, her pride would be damaged.

"I have no intention of bringing her any sort of sadness, I can promise you that. I'm going to do everything I can to make her the happiest girl in the Seriete, as long as she'll let me," Urahara gave Shunsui a reassuring smile. "You've made your point abundantly clear, and I'll definitely be sure to keep what you said in mind. If I hurt her, I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive myself, either."

Once more Shunsui felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. Urahara truly did seem to care for Shuriken, and if the interactions Shunsui had seen between them thus far were any indication, she felt the same way about him, too.

Shunsui hoped that Jushiro didn't have any plans for the remainder of the evening, because after this little run-in with Urahara, Shunsui needed his best friend that he _wasn't_ infatuated with. Jushiro, the rational, open-minded, and empathetic soul that he was would be Shunsui's saving grace that evening. Not that he didn't fill that role _most_ evenings, because who else could Shunsui turn to?

"If the two of you are going out tonight, you'd best not keep her waiting," Shunsui grinned. The small action felt as though it pained his cheeks. "She'll be upset if you're not punctual, and she'll be even _more_ ticked off if she finds out you were late because you were talking to me!"

As Urahara stared at Shunsui, the former appeared as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Shunsui assumed that would be fair, considering how worse he himself seemed to feel.

At least he wasn't grumpy anymore, eh?

"You're absolutely right about that!" Urahara laughed, his mood having returned to normal. "I'd better be on my way, to keep us both out of the doghouse!"

"Hurry on, now," Shunsui moved his hands in a shooing motion towards the path that would inevitably lead Urahara to the First Division. "Don't keep the lady waiting any longer!"

Urahara nodded, and with an eager grin on his lips, he waved farewell to Shunsui before heading on his way. Shunsui stayed in his spot for a moment before turning his head towards the sky again.

He wondered, had he made a grave mistake by being so passive during all of this? Should he have just bit the bullet, taken the chance, and proclaimed his love for Shuriken in the sort of over-the-top, eccentric way that only he could? Shunsui was sure that she'd have found such a thing to be cheesy - and perhaps even a bit embarrassing - but if she _did_ feel the same way about him, it would all be worth it, wouldn't it?

Shunsui felt as if he was fucked any way he went, so he might as well take the path of least conflict.

Later that evening, as Shunsui shared his woes with a recently-rejected (for his lieutenant's position, of course) Jushiro, Shuriken and Urahara enjoyed their first official date at one of her favorite restaurants. Regardless of the ways that Urahara made the woman laugh and smile, she couldn't shake the nagging voice in the back of her mind that wished it were Shunsui across the table from her instead.


	13. the moon and the tides

If there was one thing that Shuriken could count on to raise her spirits and to free her mind, it was immersing herself in her Soul Reaper duties. On this particular day, Shuriken decided that the best use of her time would be to head to the First's training grounds and see which of her subordinates were working on bettering themselves, and if they needed it, she would be willing to lend them a hand.

The main section of the training grounds was littered with young Soul Reapers, all of whom greeted her with respectful bows and kind words as she passed. She left them initially, as it wouldn't be fair for her to decide where she would start without seeing how many of the squad members were training that day. She'd been about to return to the main area when a faint grunt from the distance caught her ear.

 _If I didn't know any better, I'd say that came from_ my _training area._ Of course, Shuriken did _not_ have her own specific section in the training grounds, but the place she most often claimed as hers was far enough away from the others that she wouldn't disturb the weaker souls with her spiritual pressure. The majority of First recruits didn't bother going there, assuming that she could show up at any time.

The possibility was too tempting for Shuriken to ignore, so just to check out her hunch, she went out the aforementioned area. Her hunch was correct, it seemed, as Shuriken's eyes soon landed on the form of a rather muscular, short haired male who seemed to be giving a training dummy absolute hell. The closer she got to the male, the taller she realized he was; he at least had an inch or so on Shunsui, as much as she hated to think of him at the moment.

"'Morning, soldier!" Shuriken greeted as she approached the man. "What made you decide to come all the way out here instead of swinging your sword with the rest of the group?"

He turned around to look at Shuriken, and when he did, she was able to take in his full appearance. While muscular and tall as she had initially observed, he also sported hazel colored eyes and brown hair that was short but fluffy, much like a sheep. The standard issue shihakuso that he wore had sleeves that were cut at the biceps, showing off his muscles very well. He was very handsome, Shuriken had to give him that; based on his expression, however, he seemed to be the serious type.

"Good morning, Third Seat Natazaki. I came out here to try and find myself some peace and quiet, away from the proceedings of our peers," He placed his wooden sword on his hip before bowing to Shuriken. Upon raising up, his lips temporarily turned into a small smirk. "You're looking rather lovely this morning, ma'am, if I may say such a thing."

"Flattery will get you no where, I'm afraid," Shuriken grinned up at the man; if she had to guess, he was probably a little bit older than Urahara. "What's your name and rank?" She questioned. Shuriken hadn't seen him before, not that she could remember.

"I hope you'll forgive my lack of manners, Third Seat," He was certainly respectful. "My name is Okazaki Taro. I've been in the First for half a year now and I'm currently unseated. Before transferring here, I called the Tenth Division my home for many years. I've been coming out here every day for the past two weeks in an attempt to better myself and finally obtain an officers position."

Shuriken wasn't sure what it was about this man, but he attracted her interest. Not in a romantic manner - _God_ , no, she couldn't handle another potential love interest - but in the sense that she wanted to fight him. To train him. To help him reach whatever potential he had lying within.

"That's an admirable answer, Okazaki," Shuriken hummed while casually strolling over to one of the nearby sword cases. With ease, she jerked one of the wooden blades from within and rested it over her shoulder. "You wouldn't object to having a training partner, would you?"

"I'd be a fool to turn you down, ma'am," Taro's face had returned to its natural, serious state. "But if you've got other places you need to be, I completely understand."

"If I had other things to do, I wouldn't be here!" Shuriken launched herself forward with sword in hand, and although his movements weren't anywhere near as quick or nimble as her own, the woman noticed that Taro's muscles were _not_ just for show. With a swing of his own weapon, he gave her the perfect opportunity to leap back. "Let's go ahead and get started, shall we? Fair warning, though; if you drop your guard for even a second, you'll be on your way to the Fourth Division!"

The two once more connected blades, and as blue eyes met hazel, Shuriken was _positive_ that she and this man were going to get along.

-

"Ahh, Chojiro, can't you see I'm busy?" Shuriken whined as she turned her head towards the First lieutenant, who stood several feet away from her in the training area. She currently had Taro - large as he was - pinned to the ground on his back with her wooden sword at his throat. Her right foot rested on his left shoulder. "Tell the old man he can wait."

Shuriken and Taro had been sparring with each other for the past few hours, and during that time, it would be an understatement to say that he'd impressed her. He wasn't _horrible_ , but he had a large amount of potential and something about them just clicked. It had been a long time since she'd felt such a connection with someone from the start.

Sasakibe's eye visibly twitched; did Shuriken have to speak so casually of both him and the Head Captain in front of a squad member?

"I will most certainly _not_ tell him any such thing. He has requested you, and as such, it is your duty to visit him immediately," Sasakibe scolded her.

"... Buzzkill," Shuriken sighed as she left Taro's side and began walking over the sword case to return her rental weapon to its rightful place. "I didn't _really_ expect you to tell him that. If you did, I'd be a dead woman."

As soon as Shuriken had released him, Taro moved so that he kneeled to the silver-haired male. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Sasakibe."

"'Afternoon," Sasakibe nodded to Taro before turning his gaze back to Shuriken. "I'll tell him that you'll be on your way shortly. Don't take too long, Natazaki."

"I won't," Shuriken assured. Though training with Taro had succeeded in clearing her mind for a few hours, she wasn't too keen on pissing Yamamoto off and making her situation infinitely worse. Before turning back to Taro, Shuriken waited for Sasakibe to leave. "You really put in the work today, Okazaki."

"I appreciate that greatly, Third Seat," Taro raised himself off the ground, and once he had dusted himself off, he extended a hand to Shuriken. "Thank you for your time, ma'am."

Shuriken shook Taro's hand, but before releasing it, she told him, "You've not got to be so formal with me. 'Natazaki' will do, or if you're feeling bold and daring, I'd be fine with you calling me by my first name."

Taro's lips tugged into a small smile and Shuriken found that to be a good look for him.

"I'm sure I already know the answer, but I'd kick myself for not asking later," As soon as Taro began to talk, Shuriken knew where he was going. "Could I take you out for dinner later? You're as strong as you are beautiful, Natazaki."

Something about the way he spoke was rather charming, though, and while Shuriken herself had no interest in him, she could see how some women would throw themselves at him. What was it about her that attracted such men?

"It's sweet of you to ask, but I'm actually seeing someone right now," Even admitting such a thing felt weird to Shuriken, whereas _before_ Urahara she'd had declared her 'taken' status with ease. She supposed that meant she really cared about Urahara. "Aside from that, I don't date within the First. Sorry."

"I can't be hurt by such a kind rejection, can I?" Taro chuckled. "If I can't have your company for a meal, would I be able to acquire it for another round of training?"

" _Now_ we're talking," Shuriken much preferred the sound of that. "I'll request a full day for us to work together shortly, once I speak to the Head Captain. Swing by my office tomorrow evening and I'll let you know when that is, okay?"

Taro seemed quite pleased with that. "That would be wonderful. Thank you again, ma'am."

Shuriken let out a short, tart laugh as she turned on her heel. "I appreciate the respect, but I'd much prefer you call me by name, Okazaki! If my words don't get that through your skull, I'll make sure I beat it in there!"

While walking away, Shuriken heard Taro call out a 'thank you' to her once again. She couldn't help but wonder as she made her way to Yamamoto's office just what it was that had driven Taro to get his ass in gear in the first place. He'd been a Soul Reaper for years, it seemed, but only _now_ was he putting in the effort to improve himself. Perhaps it had something to do with why he left the Tenth Division?

All of the questions Shuriken had about the man would be answered in due time, but for now, she had to have a talk with her dear old (unofficial) father.

-

Truthfully, Shuriken had expected Yamamoto to scold her for her relationship with Urahara when she entered his office that day, but whatever celestial being protected the Soul Reapers - if there _was_ such a thing - must've blessed her. Instead of prying into Shuriken's personal life, Yamamoto discussed the upcoming winter festival with her and gave her a better idea of just what it was that she would be doing to contribute.

Just like Urahara mentioned the day before, Shuriken would be lead chef for the event. As such, Yamamoto had given her the additional task of preparing the menu that would feed all of the Soul Reapers in attendance. It was an intimidating job, sure, but Shuriken had plenty of time to accomplish everything she needed to. The festival was still a few months away.

A couple of days after her first training session with Taro, Shuriken found herself not in her own division, but in the Thirteenth. She needed to talk to Jushiro, and under the pretense of asking him what sort of dishes he believed his squad members would enjoy most, Shuriken was able to weasel her way out of the office for a while.

"It's wonderful to see you, Shuri," Jushiro spoke as the two old friends settled down in the Thirteenth's garden. While it hadn't been _that_ long since Shuriken had been there, she could've sworn that the place was even more beautiful than it had been the last time. "I hope you've been well!"

"I have," Shuriken told him with a smile. It wasn't a _complete_ lie, as outside of the bullshit involving Shunsui, Shuriken had been better than ever. She had a boyfriend - would that ever _not_ feel weird to say? - and, if things went the way she was hoping they would, she could have a protege in Taro. "I'm sorry I've not been by to see you sooner, but how did your meeting go the other day? With the guy you want for your lieutenant?"

Right as a sigh escaped Jushiro's lips, one of his squad members approached them with a tray of tea. She gave them both respectful smiles and, after pouring both Jushiro and Shuriken a cup of the sweet, warm, drink, she gave the two some privacy.

"It didn't go as planned, I'll say that much," In a rare instance, Shuriken could detect a bit of stubbornness in Jushiro's voice. "He's far too humble to believe that he's worthy of such a position, even though his achievements speak for themselves."

"Who is this guy, anyway?" Shuriken asked as she picked up her cup of tea. The steam that rose from it lightly fanned her face as she rested the cup on her crossed knee. "You've been going on about him forever it feels like, but you've never mentioned his name." _Not to me, anyway. I guess you could've said something to_ him _._

"I didn't want to jinx myself by revealing too much too soon," He chuckled in a much more Jushiro manner. "As soon as I say his name, I'm sure you'll understand why I'm so high on him," He paused, allowing Shuriken's curiosity to pique even further. "It's Shiba Kaien."

"Holy _shit_ , really?!" Shuriken was impressed, naturally, and she couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. "He's that prodigy kid that graduated the academy in only, what, three years?"

" _Two_ ," Jushiro corrected. "It doesn't matter how much praise you give him, he shrugs it off and acts as though a lieutenant's position is completely out of his reach. I'm not sure if I should be flattered by his humbleness or bothered by it."

"It sounds like you're somewhere in the middle," Shuriken observed. She couldn't help but be amused by the way that Jushiro was acting, because seeing him flustered was a rarity. "Maybe I could talk some sense into the kid, if he's got you all in a tizzy?"

For just a brief moment, something akin to fear flashed in Jushiro's sweet green eyes. It came and went so quickly that Shuriken almost thought she had imagined it, but she had not. Jushiro worried that a conversation between Shuriken and Kaien would do far more harm than good. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll be able to handle this on my own. It may take some time, but I'm confident that I'll be able to persuade him to accept the position."

Shuriken, who was completely oblivious to Jushiro's concerns, found that to be a reasonable response. "You're pretty damn convincing, so I doubt it'll be long before he gives in."

"I hope you're right," Jushiro chuckled softly. "It's been so hard without a lieutenant, and I know that Kaien will be perfect for the role. He's so charismatic and I don't doubt that he'd be able to lead in my place, if it were to come to that."

Shuriken's face deadpanned at the implication behind Jushiro's words, and when she didn't reply, he turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"You are _not_ dying on me, Jushiro," Shuriken said, her serious tone leaving no room for disagreements. "Don't you even think about it."

Jushiro nearly choked on the tea he had started to drink. "What?!" It took him a moment to realize where her remark had come from. "I just meant that he could take over for me, whenever my illness flared up and I was unable to come into work. Is that really what you thought I was implying, Shuri?!"

Upon realizing that she had jumped to the completely _wrong_ conclusion, Shuriken said what any rational person would. "No, what are you talking about? That'd be a brash assumption, don't you think?"

"I, uh, I suppose you're right," Jushiro shook his head. Being accustomed to Shuriken's mannerisms didn't make her any less amusing at times. "Anyway, enough about me and my woes. How have things been in the First?"

Having feared that Jushiro was going to change the conversation to Shunsui or Urahara, Shuriken was relieved when he mentioned her division instead. "Honestly, I don't think they could be better. I went out in the training fields a couple of days ago to see what I could do to help some of our squad members out, and I found a guy that I think I'll really be able to do something with. His name is Okazaki Taro, and he's currently not even got an officer's position, but his potential is incredible."

"He must be something else, to have impressed _you_ ," Jushiro hummed. "I assume you'll be taking him under your wing, then?"

"Hypothetically, yes, if I'm able to have my way with things," Shuriken nodded. After drinking a big sip of tea, she continued, "He's a big son-of-a-bitch, so I don't think I'd be able to fit him under my arm. He could probably squash my head with his if he tried, though," She mused, clearly putting far too much thought into that. "He's been a Soul Reaper for a while, I think, but he apparently only transferred to the First a little over six months ago."

"If anyone can toughen him up, I'm sure you'll be the one," Jushiro said without a shadow of a doubt. "The idea of you having an apprentice of sorts is certainly interesting. I'm sure there are methods of training that you've perfected over the years that others would have never thought of. You spend as much time honing your craft now as you did when we were still in the academy."

Shuriken proudly accepted that compliment. "Who knows? Maybe one day I'll sit around and write some things down for the teachers to hold onto. I'm sure they'd be able to do a lot more with all of my wacky ideas than I could."

"That's not too bad of an idea," Jushiro agreed.

From there, the two continued to chat about whatever topic came to their minds. They finished their tea only for it to be replenished by the same shy squad member, a cute little girl who seemed utterly infatuated with Jushiro. After she left some cookies for Jushiro and Shuriken to eat, Shuriken turned to Jushiro with a small grin.

"You know, a lot of guys would kill to have the effect on women that you do," Shuriken wanted to laugh at the look of confusion that crossed Jushiro's face.

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Ju. There are plenty of gals just like that one," She nodded towards the aforementioned female, who was tending to some of the flowers in the distance. The girl was barely within eyesight. "Ones who can't help but fall for you. You're a heart breaker and you can't help it."

"I wish you wouldn't put such negative thoughts into my head," Jushiro's face scrunched in disgust. "I hope you're wrong, and that no girl is foolish enough to feel such a way about me. It wouldn't be fair for her to invest her time in me, when there is no hope of a future for us."

" _Ouch_ , that struck too close to home," Shuriken suddenly wished that her tea was alcoholic. "Yeah, that sort of thing really sucks," She sighed, but soon covered it with a laugh. "At least your girls are probably smart enough to move on once they realize there's no chance of a romance between you two, even if it's only because they don't think they've got a shot with a captain. Not everyone is gifted with the intelligence to let things die so that we - uh, _they_ \- can let their hearts heal!"

Despite her best efforts to play the comments off, it seemed as though Jushiro saw right through her. He always did, whether she wanted him to or not; in a way, though, this was exactly what Shuriken _had_ wanted. Jushiro was the only one she could trust on the topic of her heart and the conversation she needed to have with him was similar to the one he'd had with Shunsui a few days prior.

Of course, Shuriken didn't _know_ that Shunsui and Jushiro had been talking about such things, but she hoped that was the case. If Shunsui wasn't going to talk to her, Shuriken wanted him to at least talk to Jushiro.

"How do you feel about Shunsui at this moment?" Jushiro asked. Looking at him, Shuriken saw that his brows were slightly furrowed and a concerned look graced his face. "And please don't try to lie to me, Shuri."

_I couldn't lie to you even if I wanted to. You'd call me out on it regardless._

"That's not an easy question to answer," Shuriken sighed as she placed her hands palm-down on the ground behind her in order to prop herself up. "I'm _mad_ , first off, because he's been a complete and total jerk to me lately. You saw how he was at dinner the other night; he wouldn't even _look_ at me, Jushiro."

It was too hard for her to look at Jushiro as they spoke about Shunsui, so Shuriken instead opted to gaze towards the beautiful garden around them.

"He's been a bit difficult to handle, I'll give you that," Jushiro seemed to be choosing his words carefully and Shuriken scolded herself for that.

"Listen, we've not got to talk about this," Shuriken interjected. "The last thing I want is for you to think that you've got to choose between us or to put you in the middle of whatever bullshit is happening here. You don't-"

"Shuriken," A gentle hand rested on the woman's shoulder, but she still couldn't bring herself to turn to Jushiro. "All I want is for all of this to be over as soon as possible. Seeing you and Shunsui at odds breaks my heart."

"It does mine, too. I feel like he doesn't want to be around me and when we _are_ in the same place, he's in some sort of mood," Shuriken sighed. Her eyes closed as her head dropped, making it where her chin rested on her chest. "He's never been like this with me before, Ju, and the shittiest part is that I'm not even sure what I did to cause it. We've fought in the past, sure, but it's never been this bad."

Jushiro gave Shuriken's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before removing his hand from atop of it. "You're absolutely right. It's out of character for Shunsui, but I'm sure he's not without his reasons."

"What reason would he have for being like _this_ , though?" Shuriken raised her head back up so that she could turn to Jushiro with a questioning gaze. She recognized that tone in his voice, however subtle it may have been; Jushiro knew more than he was letting on. "What'd he tell you?"

The subtle wince Jushiro gave confirmed Shuriken's suspicions. She truly did hate putting Jushiro in this situation and if he told her to back off she would, but at the same time, it wasn't as though Shunsui was talking to _her_. Jushiro was her only option as far as getting information on Shunsui.

"Well," Jushiro finally spoke after drinking more of his tea. He seemed to be in a mental war with himself about what to say to her when Shuriken really just wanted one thing from him: The truth. "I know that part of it is that he feels as if you've replaced him with Captain Urahara."

"You're joking, right?" The words came from Shuriken's mouth before any sort of cognizant thought could stop them. However, Jushiro was _not_ joking and Shuriken knew that just by the look on his handsome, pale face. "That's so _dumb_!" She exclaimed in frustration. "No one could replace him, not even Kisuke!"

"That's not how he feels," Jushiro shook his head. "You and Shunsui have always been close and he thinks that your time with Urahara has brought a wedge between you."

"Surely _you're_ smart enough to realize that isn't my fault," Shuriken couldn't believe that it was as if Shunsui was trying to put the blame on her, and truthfully, she felt as if a wave of emotions that had been building up for quite a while was beginning to spill out of her. In a more level-headed state of mind, she'd feel guilty for unloading _that_ much on Jushiro. "Am I just supposed to sit on my ass for the rest of my life and wait for him to come sweep me off my feet? Should I push Kisuke away just like I've done every other man in my life that I've ever had _any_ hope of a future with, so that I can do just that?!"

"I don't think that's what he meant, Shuri," Jushiro's voice was soft, stern, and sympathetic. He had a talent for diffusing the woman when she became overwhelmed, even when Shunsui was involved, but he wondered how much he'd really be able to help her in this instance without breaking Shunsui's trust in the process. "You've always been inseparable, you and Shun. It's probably hard on him, knowing that he's not the center of your attention anymore."

"So he's jealous?" Shuriken asked without really needing an answer. Her hands moved from behind her so that she could fall onto her back, and as she lied uncomfortably on the grass, Shuriken crossed her arms under her chest. At the moment, she looked very much like an upset child. "That just goes back to what I said a moment ago. Shunsui's too afraid to settle down in a relationship himself, and because of that, I can't do that, either. He's lonely so I've got to be lonely, too."

It really _should_ have crossed her mind that Shunsui wasn't jealous for that reason specifically, but rather that she had found someone that wasn't _him_ , but no matter how Shuriken felt about Shunsui she just had no reason to believe that he felt the same. They'd flirted over the years and their emotional connection was something that Shuriken had never experienced with _anyone_ else, not even Jushiro, but when it came down to it, Shunsui didn't take things seriously. Any compliments or gestures that he gave to Shuriken would be given to the next woman to let him get his dick wet, too.

Sure, Shunsui cared deeply for Shuriken in a platonic fashion; she'd never doubt that. But as far as romantic feelings went, she assumed that she wasn't even an option in his mind.

Regardless of the aggravation that Shuriken showcased, she wasn't as angry at Shunsui as she was hurt. In all of their years together he'd never once seemed to be so hell-bent on stopping something that brought her joy, and to have come to the conclusion that it was because of jealousy was hard to accept. 

To think that Shunsui would be so selfish.

A silence fell over Shuriken and Jushiro temporarily, as both stewed in their own thoughts. Shuriken watched the clouds pass, whimsically wishing that she could be that simple and free, too. If she were nothing more than a fluffy white cloud in the sky, she wouldn't have to deal with such troublesome emotions as love, compassion, and heartache. She'd just be able to pass by the world without a single care to her name, because she'd have everything she ever needed right there with her in the atmosphere.

"Can I ask you a question, Shuri?" Jushiro was the one to speak first, his typically strong voice filled with uncertainty. Shuriken turned her head to the side as she continued to lie on the ground, her blue eyes locking with his green ones while she nodded. "How do you _really_ feel about Urahara?"

The question was one that Shuriken hadn't expected from Jushiro; it caught her off guard. She couldn't help but wonder, though, if this was a roundabout way of asking about her feelings for _Shunsui_.

"He's amazing, Jushiro. I've never been treated so well in a relationship before," Shuriken spoke as she leaned her head back into a neutral position. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the clouds that she had become so envious of. "I'm very grateful I've got him in my life, I know that much."

It was hard for her to give a real answer to Jushiro's question because Shuriken wasn't sure how she felt about her boyfriend. They'd only known each other for a couple of weeks and that wasn't enough time for them to fully form a lasting connection.

"Perhaps I should rephrase that," Jushiro spoke cautiously. "I know it's a bit early to tell, and things could fall apart between the two of you long before then, but do you _honestly_ see a future with him?"

 _Why don't you just ask me about how much I love Shunsui, Jushiro? Get to the point._ "If you want to know if I love Kisuke, I'm not going to sugar-coat things and tell you I do. At this point I barely know anything about the man as a whole, just because we've not had time to learn one another's lives and personalities. That's the sort of thing that takes a while," She sighed. Shuriken could feel her heartbeat quickening in her chest and she hated that. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to love him the way that he deserves, though, because he's not the one my heart longs for. You're a reasonable man and I'm hopeful you're willing to spare me the pain of admitting who I'm referring to."

Really, anyone with half a mind knew the answer.

"Shuri..." Jushiro sounded as though the emotional baggage he carried was as heavy as her own. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked such things of you, and I'll admit it was my own selfish curiosity that got the better of me."

"You know," Shuriken's eyes slowly opened as she hauled herself over onto her side, to where she faced Jushiro. One arm acted as a pillow for her while the other reached forward onto the grass, allowing the soft blades to skim lightly across her fingers. "Kisuke's the only other man I've ever cared about, and that makes it so much worse. As happy as he makes me and as much as I enjoy our time together, I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't worry about hurting him in the end. He's genuinely a good man and I don't want to break his heart."

A movement from in front of her caught her attention, and Shuriken watched as Jushiro rose to his feet. When he extended a hand towards her to help her up, Shuriken hesitantly took it; Jushiro pulled her off the grass with ease.

"You need to talk to Shunsui," Jushiro's face betrayed him, showcasing how nervous he had become. "Please, Shuri."

"I'm not the one you need to start hounding about a conversation," Shuriken's shoulders slumped. "It's like you've not even been listening to me."

"I _have_ , and that's why you need to be the one to talk to him," He shook his head. "Do you really think that I _wouldn't_ listen to you, when you're so visibly upset?"

Shuriken dropped her gaze once more like a scolded child. "I'm sorry. He's just being so difficult to get to right now and it's driving me crazy. I could bang pots and pans outside of his office all day long and he'd still act like I wasn't there." Lisa would definitely know she was there, though, and maybe _she_ could get Shunsui to talk to her? _Hmm..._

No, it was far more likely that Lisa would go after Shuriken herself and that would be far worse.

"I'll see what I can talk him into," Jushiro finally spoke after taking a long, hard look at Shuriken. She figured that, as usual, he had read her and her distress as though she were an open book. "He's been a tad on the stubborn side with me, too, so I'm not sure I'll be able to make you any promises."

"I doubt even an order from my old man could get him to talk to me right now," Shuriken scoffed in a pitiful attempt to hide her own pain. "If all else fails, he'll eventually come crawling back because he misses me, right?" Though she tried to play it off as though she were joking, Shuriken was serious. 

She didn't want to _think_ that Shunsui would be so selfish as to completely remove her from his life over this, but Shuriken most definitely had issues with abandonment. Her entire life until this point had been centered around Shunsui, Jushiro, and the First Division - Yamamoto and Sasakibe especially - and the fear of losing Shunsui was something she wasn't prepared to face. It had been a big concern of hers during their later academy years, once she had realized how far ahead of her both he and Jushiro were, but during their time as actual Soul Reapers, she'd never had a real reason to believe she'd lose him.

They were close. Closer than anyone. Shuriken and Shunsui _didn't_ fight, not seriously and certainly not for more than a few days at a time. Whatever funk they were going through at that moment was different from anything they'd experienced before and Shuriken desperately hoped it wouldn't be their end.

It was quite foolish of her to believe that such a thing would even be possible, but Shuriken cared far too much for Shunsui for thoughts like that to easily come and go from her mind. Without him, she felt as though a piece of her soul - and definitely her heart - had been lost.

"Doesn't he always?" Jushiro cracked a smile, one that felt far more genuine this time. One hand of his went to the top of Shuriken's head while the other went to his hips. "I'll tell you what, why don't we just go see what my squad would like to eat at the winter festival? We've had enough serious conversations for one day."

"I couldn't agree more," Shuriken cracked a small grin as Jushiro ruffled her hair. "And after this, we're completely free to go get some drinks, right?" It was the middle of the day, sure, but did that _really_ matter? Jushiro, as expected, wore a hesitant expression. "How long has it been since you and I went out by ourselves, Ju? Come _on_."

Shuriken had a point. She and Jushiro spent time together without Shunsui often, but it was usually in the comfort of either of their divisions. They rarely made it to a bar or a restaurant by themselves.

"How about we go out _after_ the work day has ended? I don't doubt that you've got plenty of work to attend to once you return to the First," Jushiro shook his head as he dropped his hands back down to his sides. From there, he began leading Shuriken back towards the barracks; one of the squad members would be by shortly to clean up the snacks and drinks they'd been enjoying.

"But if I'm with you, the old man won't be _that_ upset," Shuriken protested. Her work ethic was impeccable, but _goddammit_ did she need a drink. "I'm sure he'd understand. He's always wanting me to take more days for myself."

"Really?" Jushiro chuckled. "I don't think that's what he meant, Shuri."

"I haven't purposefully skipped out on my work since the academy, though," Shuriken whined dramatically. "Maybe I want to be a rebel for once? To do something _wild_?"

"But don't you think that's a bit too tame?" Jushiro played along. "If you want to _really_ go crazy, perhaps you should start with something simple, like turning your paperwork in a couple of minutes late?"

"What if I just _don't_ do one of the pages, somewhere in the middle of the stack?" Shuriken knew that genuinely skipping work wasn't a good idea - and if she _did_ do such a thing, under these circumstances, she'd wind up hating herself for it later - so she might as well just enjoy her time with Jushiro, right? "That'd drive him up the wall."

Jushiro, the poor man that was far too accustomed to Shuriken's (and Shunsui's) dramatic ways, let out a gasp. "I can't believe you'd even consider such a thing. I'm not sure the Head Captain would ever be able to recover from such a betrayal."

After spending a moment pretending as though she were lost in thought, Shuriken nodded. "You're right. I think _that_ would be taking it too far."

Though she _would_ have to return to work after exploring the Thirteenth Division and chatting with several of its members, Shuriken would get her wish later that evening; Jushiro took her out for drinks, just as she had hoped.

Even if things weren't well between Shuriken and Shunsui, spending the better part of a day with Jushiro reminded the woman that she still had plenty of things to keep her spirits high. Whatever would come to be between her and Urahara, she swore to herself later that night, would _not_ be affected by Shunsui and his attitude.

Unfortunately for our navy-haired gal, things were never that easy. Shuriken wanted so desperately to be like the clouds, so free and in control of whether or not they came into contact with the sun and its powerful rays, but truthfully, she was much more like the ocean; beautiful and strong on her own, but at the mercy of the moon's gravity.

Just like the moon and the tides, Shunsui and Shuriken were always going to have some sort of destiny that brought them back together.


	14. 'across the seriete'

Sometimes, Shunsui couldn't help but to sit back and wonder how he got himself into certain situations. Even as he observed the world around him, as he watched the events unfold, he still couldn't understand the simple question of _how_?

Take the current situation our leading male found himself in, trapped in his own office with seemingly no means of escape. Shunsui sat with his elbows on his desk and his hands folded across one another. In front of him sat Captains Hirako and Otoribashi, both of whom had waltzed in so casually a couple of minutes ago. Lisa, stationed at her own desk, seemed amused by their presence.

"So what is it that brought you fine gents all the way out here, again?" Shunsui asked as he quirked a brow at both of his peers. "As flattered as I am, you're neither one the kind to drop by without reason."

"I'm offended you think of us in such a way!" Hirako sighed. "Would it be so _unprecedented_ for Rose and I to come see you out of the kindness of our hearts?!"

"Actually, yes," Shunsui gave a tart laugh. "You particularly have been on my ass for the past couple of months, Captain Hirako. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say the _real_ reason you're both here is to pester me about my personal life."

Yes, in the two months since Shuriken and Urahara had begun dating, Shunsui had returned to his typical self in many ways! The biggest problem that he had yet to work through, however, was that he'd not so much as been in the same room as Shuriken since their last dinner with Jushiro and Urahara. She'd stopped by several times, yes, but Shunsui had (conveniently) been out of the office at that time. Aside from the rare instance that Yamamoto needed him, Shunsui had made sure that he avoided the First at all costs, too, which really limited the chances he had to run into Shuriken.

This wasn't something that Shunsui _enjoyed_ doing, and in fact, every time he fled from her he felt like a pitiful coward. Shunsui, one of the strongest and most formidable captains in the Soul Society, still didn't have the balls to talk to his best friend.

 _It's not like it's going to be this way forever, though. As soon as I'm out of this funk, everything will go back to normal._ Or at least, as normal as things could be when Shunsui's heart was shattered and hers was in the hands of another man. A man that, no matter how kind or funny or attractive he was, would never be able to give Shuriken the kind of love that Shunsui himself could.

"You're so snippy," Hirako rolled his eyes. "It's no wonder--"

Before Shunsui had a chance to scold the Fifth captain, Rojuro interrupted their conversation. "We've actually just come to ask for your opinion on our music choices for the festival. Captain Hirako and I have been unable to come to an agreement, so we thought we'd come to see what you thought we should do."

" _Uh-huh_ ," Shunsui hummed, his half-lidded eyes moving slowly from Rojuro to Hirako and back again. "And you both really expect me to believe that? Is that the best you could come up with?"

"I think you should be flattered, captain," Lisa chimed in. Shunsui gazed at her from the corner of his eye. "Out of everyone in the Seriete, they chose _you_ to come to."

He wished that she wouldn't encourage them like that. Lisa had been so good to Shunsui during all of this, giving him space when he needed it and - more often than not - a kick in the ass when self-pity overcame him. Where would Shunsui be without Lisa, his kind lieutenant who just happened to enjoy watching him suffer at times?

"And that's all it has to do with, huh?" Shunsui would've been a fool to believe the blatant lie from Rojuro, but that was neither here nor there. "I'm _so_ very sorry for misjudging your intentions, captains. Please, share with me the options you've come up with."

"Is that sarcasm I detect in your tone, Shunsui?" Hirako's grin encompassed most of his face. "No matter. Rose, get your shitty record out and we'll both play him a sample."

Rojuro's brow twitched in annoyance, a reaction that Shunsui knew to be genuine. Even if the two younger men _had_ come to Shunsui with ulterior motives, the bickering between them when it came to their music was as real as any of them were. Hirako and Rojuro were both passionate about their choices and it only made sense that Shunsui got roped into the situation as well.

For the next half hour, Shunsui listened to a selection of classic hits - Rojuro's choice - and something that Hirako seemed rather fond of, a new trend in the World of the Living called 'Jazz.' He had to admit that neither of them were bad options, and picking one option more blatantly than the other would only result in another argument between Hirako and Rojuro. At this point, Shunsui was eager to get the two men out of his office as quickly as possible.

"So, what do you think?" Hirako asked gleefully as he slid his record back into its paper case. After sitting it down on Shunsui's desk, the Fifth captain returned to his seat beside Rojuro. "It's pretty good, huh?"

"It isn't _bad_ , but I think we'd benefit a lot more from what I picked out," Rojuro muttered. He faced away from Hirako and more towards the window. Shunsui couldn't help but think that Rojuro and Hirako both looked like foolish students who had been caught in a scuffle and sent to their headmaster's office.

"Speak up, Rose," Hirako's eyes narrowed as he turned towards Rojuro with a dangerous smirk. "I couldn't hear you."

"Now, now," Shunsui could detect a hint of annoyance in his own voice, but who could blame him? "I think you've both made wonderful choices as to what should play at our big event. A compromise would do you two some good; how about we play Rose's music at the dance and yours at the festival, Shinji?"

Truthfully, that would've been the best solution. Hirako's jazz would lighten up the festivities while Rojuro's classical melodies would be perfect for the more intimate setting of the dance. After all, Shunsui didn't assume that there would be too many young folk at the dance and that it would mainly consist of older Soul Reapers and seated officers, whereas the opposite could be said for the festival itself.

"I'm actually surprised we agreed on that, captain," Lisa spoke back up. She lied on her back on her desk with a magazine held up in front of her face. Shunsui had asked her to not be so casual in front of the other captains, but as one would expect, Lisa had continued to do as she pleased. "You guys should go with that. It'd be a great way to get both of your music heard."

"Thank you, Lisa," A smile tugged Shunsui's lips upward. "What do you say, gentlemen?" He asked, turning back to Hirako and Rojuro.

"... I think we'll have to discuss it further, but that's probably the best that anyone will be able to come up with," Hirako sighed dramatically with a shrug. Rojuro gave a small nod in agreement. "Now, before we go," _There_ he went. "Have you _really_ not spoken to Natazaki yet?"

"I don't think he has," Rojuro chimed in, turning around to face Hirako as if the two _hadn't_ just spent the past half hour arguing. "It's quite tragic, if you ask me."

"Yep, it's absolutely heartbreaking," Shunsui's tone remained as it usually did but he could feel the annoyance ticking up in the pit of his stomach. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got other work I've got to take care of."

"He does!" Oh, his sweet Lisa. Even if she didn't tear her eyes away from her erotica, she was still willing to throw Shunsui a hand. "The walls of the office aren't going to scrub themselves and I'm sure as hell not going to do it."

"No really, Shunsui," Hirako continued. "I honestly thought that you and her were in love or something. That's part of why _I_ personally never even considered her an option. I was always too afraid of how you'd react, or even worse; of _her_ biting my head off," The man leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Which brings me to the question, just _how_ exactly was a man like Urahara Kisuke able to come in so easily and steal your girl away without really even having to do much, it seems? He's a good man, don't get me wrong, just sort of on the odd side. Have you _seen_ his office? It's like a damn science lab or--"

"That's enough, Captain Hirako," Shunsui interrupted the younger male. Even Lisa turned her head at the icy tone in her typically warm and welcoming captain’s voice. “If there’s nothing else I can help the two of you with, you’d best be on your way.”

For as carefree and upbeat as Shunsui appeared to be, when the situation called for it, it was as if a switch flipped his personality. This was one of those times, where Shunsui’s rather intimidating aura came into play. Without him needing to say another word, Rojuro and Hirako both knew that it was time to leave. They were on their way to going _too_ far.

“Uh, right,” Hirako cleared his throat as he stood and retrieved his record from Shunsui’s desk. “Let’s go tell the Head Captain what we decided on, eh, Rose?”

“Yes,” Rojuro nodded as he too made his way to his feet. “That sounds wonderful. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to know we’ve finally reached an agreement.”

“ _Bye_ , Shunsui! Lisa!” Hirako waved in farewell as he and Rojuro, side by side, began to scurry out of Shunsui’s office. Though their heads were high and their shoulders were pushed back, both captains were running away with their tails between their legs.

Lisa waited until the door had closed behind Hirako and Rojuro to sit up at her desk. After sitting her magazine down beside her, she folded one leg over the other and looked towards Shunsui with narrowed eyes. Shunsui met her gaze steadily; though neither of them spoke for a moment, there was a silent _thank you_ and _you’re welcome_ exchanged between the two.

“You know, I was serious about those walls,” Lisa remarked as she jumped down from her desk with ease. “They’d benefit from being repainted, too, but I’m not going to push my luck.”

Once more, Shunsui found a smile gracing his features. He was lucky to have Lisa; he was lucky indeed.

“If I wash the walls, can I borrow your magazines tonight?” Shunsui leaned back in his seat as he rested his arms behind his head. His tone was mischievous but he had no intentions of borrowing such things from Lisa, even if she agreed to it. She knew that, too, but they still enjoyed their banter.

“Depends. Are you going to _paint_ the walls, too?”

“No, but--”

“Then it’s a ‘no.’ You’ll have to spend another night in the company of a nameless woman from the streets to get your fix,” Lisa gave Shunsui a grin, something he soon returned.

“That’s harsh, Lisa, I remember the woman from last night’s name very well!”

Just as he had expected, Lisa called his bluff. “Really? What was it, then?”

“... Ah, nothing important. Something that began with an ‘A,’ or a ‘B’, or maybe even a ‘C.’”

Lisa scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but find amusement in Shunsui’s words. _This_ was the Kyoraku Shunsui she knew and even loved, on some level. She much preferred this Shunsui to the one who locked himself in the office all day because he was upset over Shuriken.

“Captain, you really are something else.”

-

“Does this work?”

“No, that’s too far over to the left. Scoot it more towards the right.”

“Okay, what about now?”

“Yeah, that’ll work.”

“Where would you like for me to hang this, though? It doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of your theme in here.”

“Ah, shit… Just go put it in the hall closet and I’ll find something to do with it later.”

“As you wish, Shuriken.”

For the past three hours, Shuriken had been making good use of her muscular assistant Taro, having him lend a hand while rearranging the furniture in her home. He insisted on doing everything that he could for the woman to pay her back for all of their long hours of training and Shuriken would’ve been an idiot to refuse a helping hand around the house. In their ‘official’ agreement - official meaning a handshake and toast over a glass of sake - Shuriken had asked only that Taro aid her in the office and during their work hours, but he was willing to go above and beyond and she was fine with that.

Besides, Taro was over a foot taller than Shuriken so it was easier for him to reach those hard-to-get places.

While Shunsui had been sorting through his personal problems and ignoring her during the past couple of months, Shuriken had been thriving. On top of her growing platonic bond with Taro, Shuriken’s relationship with Urahara seemed to be at a different level. Time that Shuriken once dedicated to spending with her best friend now belonged almost exclusively to Urahara and despite the way her heart ached when thinking of Shunsui, Shuriken planned on convincing herself that this was for the best.

If he wasn’t going to make the effort to speak to her, why should she bust her ass for him? All relationships, romantic or otherwise, required participation from both sides. Shunsui wasn’t currently willing to meet her halfway, and until he was, Shuriken had the rightfully stubborn mindset that he could go fuck himself.

“Is there anything else you need me to do for the day?” Taro asked as he walked back into Shuriken’s living room. The woman currently sat on her couch, legs crossed and resting under her on the cushions.

“Can you grab my cup off the counter in the kitchen? I know it’s a lazy as shit request, but you’re up, and…” Shuriken provided Taro with _the_ most genuine grin that he had surely ever seen.

“I might be able to do that, for such a kind, compassionate woman such as yourself,” Taro gave a low, deep hum. “But _that_? That’ll cost you more than my training.”

“Uh-huh, and what might that cost be?” Shuriken watched curiously as the tall male made his way into her kitchen to get her drink. He came out a moment later with her cup in his hand.

“There’s something that I’ve wished to ask you since I joined the First, something that I’d truthfully forgotten all about until I transferred there,” Taro admitted. His face, typically so serious, seemed full of amusement.

“What are you talking about?” Shuriken raised a brow as Taro gave her her cup. “Is it about the old man’s occasional trips to the hot springs at night? Because I legally cannot confirm nor deny those,” She spoke, her deadpan humor never ceasing to make Taro tilt his head.

“He- What?” Taro paused for a moment, looking down at the woman as she nonchalantly drank her tea. “I actually wanted to ask you about the origin of your ‘Snorey-Shuri’ nickname.”

A mere second after the sentence had left Taro’s lips, he watched in horror as Shuriken choked on her drink. Tea fanned across the space in front of her and the man was grateful that he hadn’t been standing any closer to her, lest he be caught in the danger zone.

“Are you okay, Shuriken?” Taro asked awkwardly, unsure if he should pat the woman’s back or give her some space.

“Yeah, uh,” Shuriken replied a moment later after clearing her throat. “You just caught me off guard. That’s not something I’ve heard in, well… I guess not since my time in the academy, if we’re being honest.”

The less said about just _how_ long ago that was, the better.

“See? That’s where I heard it,” It was so hard for Shuriken to be mad whenever such childish glee overtook Taro. “It’s sort of like an urban legend that drifts through the academy halls now, I believe. Everyone knows that it’s _you_ that the name belongs to, but I guess everyone’s just too afraid of you to say anything, based on your reaction.”

Now that Shuriken thought about it, there _had_ been times when younger Soul Reapers had approached her with mischievous grins on their faces, but by the time they walked up to her, their playfulness had been replaced with fear.

“Please tell me you’re joking and that isn’t something people regularly talk about,” Shuriken shuddered as the realization that the name she so rightfully loathed had stuck with her all of these years without her knowledge. “They don’t, right?”

“They do, and while I’m not one for gossip, I’d quite like to know where it came from,” Taro took a seat across from Shuriken in a nearby chair. “I swear on my honor that I won’t tell another soul about it.”

It took Shuriken a moment to decide whether or not she was willing to share such a memory, but hey, what harm could come from telling Taro of all people?

“All right, I’ll tell you, but I really _shouldn’t_ , considering that someone who really cared about me wouldn’t have fed into my moment of laziness,” Shuriken hummed in mock disappointment. “But since you’ve been so helpful today, I suppose I owe you one.”

Shuriken took a long drink of her tea while Taro watched her eagerly. When she finally began speaking, he hung on her every word.

“It was during the New Year break of our first year at the academy,” Shuriken said. Although she was putting her unease off on the silly nickname, she struggled far more with talking about Shunsui and the friendship she missed so dearly. They were both far too stubborn to admit how much they missed the other. “Ju went off to visit his family but Shunsui and I remained at the dorms. One wild drinking night later and he passed out in my room, snoring like a goddamn hog and giving the few staff members that had remained over the break the horrendous impression that _I_ was capable of making such animalistic noises. At the time it seemed like the better option than getting scolded for sharing a room, but in hindsight I think we might’ve made the wrong decision.”

With a wave of her hand, Shuriken pretended once more that everything was okay. Of course that hadn’t been the _whole_ story of what had happened on the first night of their first New Year break - while many small details had faded from her memory over the years, that one night stuck out like a sore thumb - but _Gods_ , was talking about Shunsui harder than it should’ve been for her.

And while Taro certainly wasn’t the most acquainted with Shuriken, the man had grown to understand her quite a bit over their short time together. On top of that, it wasn’t necessarily difficult to see the way her face had dropped, however subtly the change may have been, as soon as Shunsui's name passed her lips. Shuriken had never told Taro about what was going on between Shunsui and herself, and he’d never wanted to ask, but he knew that the situation stressed her out.

“That’s it, huh?” Ignoring the awkward way in which Shuriken had reacted to recounting stories of her youth involving the man she had become estranged with, Taro felt as if he’d learned some sort of classified information. _His_ younger self would be proud of him for making such a discovery, though somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t Shuriken herself that snored like a wild animal. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, eh?

“Yep, that’s it,” Shuriken nodded. “I’m most definitely not the creature those asshole teachers have made me out to be. Maybe it’s time I made a trip down to the academy to lend them a hand,” Never mind that her teachers had probably retired or moved on to different roles in the Soul Society, leaving her legend to be passed on by nosy students who needed something to make themselves feel better.

However, before Shuriken and Taro could delve deeper into their conversation, a third Soul Reaper joined them.

“Oh honey, I’m home!” Urahara’s cheerful voice boomed as he, after knocking once, entered the house. Shuriken’s eye twitched as she looked up at the man she cared oh-so-much about. The man that she _one-hundred percent_ loved with her entire heart.

“You don’t live here,” Most men would’ve been offended by the blunt way in which Shuriken greeted him, but Urahara wasn’t phased. Not at all.

“It’s nice to see you too, Shuri,” Urahara said with the same cheerful grin that he usually wore around his girlfriend. Yes, poor Urahara had become quite smitten with Shuriken over their time together. “And _hello_ , Mister Okazaki!”

“Hello, captain,” Taro bowed to Urahara at the waist from his seated position. “I hope you’re doing well this evening.”

“I am, I am,” Urahara replied in an almost sing-song voice. “Say, why is it that you’re nicer to me than Shuri is, huh?”

“I believe it’s because you caught us at a bad time,” Taro chuckled. “I’ve asked her to divulge one of her deepest, darkest secrets.”

Shuriken shot Taro a glare and if Urahara hadn’t been curious before, he sure as hell was now.

“ _Really_? What’s that?” After kicking his shoes off at the door, Urahara rushed over to the couch where Shuriken sat and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, if you’ve told old Steely here, you’ve got to tell me!”

Steely; the nickname that Shuriken had given Taro on their first ‘official’ day of training had stuck like glue.

\- - -

“Hey, Taro!” Shuriken had called out as she rested her still-sealed Umi no Okami over her shoulder. “We’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t release your zanpakuto! Fight me like you mean it!”

At that time, Taro had been standing across the training field from the woman who would become something of a friend and mentor to him, hazel eyes narrowed in concentration. He and Shuriken had locked blades before, sure, but they’d just been the typical wooden training swords. Today they were using their actual zanpakuto.

“Well?” Shuriken goaded when Taro continued to hesitate. “Fine! If you’re not willing to throw the first punch,” She’d given Taro a look that he would become almost afraid of; when Shuriken truly invested herself in a fight, she was almost like a different woman. “I’ll do it for you! Slam ‘em down _now_ , Umi no Okami!”

Before Taro could blink, Shuriken had flash-stepped in front of him while swinging her released zanpakuto diagonally towards him. He’d heard stories of Shuriken’s beautiful sword before, but seeing it so up-close and personal was an experience all on its own. Okami curved three times on its blade, looking almost like the waves of the ocean. Taro had been too slow to completely evade the water-like reishi that spewed from it.

“Shit!” Taro cursed as he leapt back, landing on a nearby rock. His arms, where the reishi had landed, felt groggy and heavy - as if they had been submerged underwater. “Your Umi no Okami is as impressive as they say.”

“Thanks,” Shuriken gave a short, tart laugh. “But I’m far more interested in _your_ zanpakuto!”

That time, Taro was ready for Shuriken. He knew the strengths of his own sword fairly well at that point - true mastery would come years down the line, after the point we’re currently at in his shared story with Shuriken - and he knew that he was more of a defensive fighter than an offensive one.

“Steel your resolve, Suchiruraion!” Taro called, holding his zanpakuto in front of him. A gust of wind sent Shuriken back while Taro’s blade transformed into its shikai. Suchiruraion changed from a typical katana to a sturdy steel shield complete with miniature blades that looked almost like spikes around its edges. The perfect weapon for a man such as Taro.

“Not too bad, Taro! But just how do you plan on fighting me off with that big thing?” Shuriken taunted, that same devilish gleam in her eyes. “You can’t just try and block me forever!”

When Shuriken rushed Taro again, this time aiming for what surely seemed to be a blind spot in his defenses, Taro leapt into the air and swung his shield similarly to a whip towards the woman. Shuriken blocked the attack in time but Taro could tell he’d further intrigued her. Not wanting to waste any time, Taro flash stepped to Shuriken’s side with one hand placed over its opposite arm.

“Hado 31, Shakkaho!” Having been performed without an incantation, Taro knew that his spell wouldn’t be as effective as it could’ve been. Nonetheless, a bright, explosive red ball flew towards Shuriken and exploded upon coming into contact with her blade. Taro barely escaped without catching himself in the aftermath.

“What?!” Shuriken coughed as she batted away smoke with one hand once the dust began to settle. She was rather unscathed, but Taro wasn’t surprised by that. Shuriken was good at what she did and he was sure she had some sort of counter maneuver that she’d used at the last moment. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re _good_ at kido?!”

“It’s my specialty, actually,” Taro had felt pride wash over him and rightfully so. His kido skills would always be far superior to Shuriken’s regardless of their differences in rank. “As you can see, my zanpakuto isn’t exactly cut out for attacking my opponent head-on, so I’ve had to work on other ways to get my job done.”

The _best_ part, Taro would admit, was the look of both annoyance and respect that came to Shuriken’s face.

“Even without an incantation, that was a pretty impressive spell,” Shuriken admitted. “If I didn’t have a few tricks up my sleeve, you would’ve done some damage there,” She shook her head. “But enough praises for now; prove to me that wasn’t a fluke!”

And just like that, they were at it again.

-

“Say, Taro,” Shuriken spoke as the duo sat underneath a plum tree near their training grounds. They had just finished their training for the day and their objective at that moment had been to unwind and relax before heading home. “I think I’ve finally picked a nickname for you.”

“Hmm?” Taro had finished chugging the jug of water that he’d been sipping on before turning to face Shuriken. “What do you mean?”

“Well, most people that I really give a damn about have some sort of nickname, even if it's just a shorter version of their name,” Shuriken explained. “It’s not something that’s used _all_ the time, but throwing it in every now and then adds a little bit of familiarity to the relationship. I wasn’t quite sure what to do for your name at first, but after seeing your zanpakuto in action, I’ve got the perfect one.”

Shuriken hadn’t needed to explain the word to him, but that wasn’t a concern at the moment.

“Really?” Though Taro didn’t seem the most enthusiastic, the truth was that his heart felt as though it would burst through his chest. He had such a warm, caring personality underneath his hardened exterior and the simple act of giving him a nickname had solidified in Taro’s mind that he’d truly made a friend in Shuriken, even if - for the time being - their relationship would be more professional than anything. “What have you come up with for me, then?”

In fact, the only other people who called him another name were his family; his younger sister Reo had been unable to pronounce his first name when she was just a child and deemed him ‘Roro.’ Somewhere along the line his parents had adopted the name for him as well.

“Steely,” Shuriken told him with a proud nod as their eyes met. “Saying it aloud, I’m even more sold on it.”

“What sort of aquatic name should I call you, then?” Taro asked in amusement. “Off the top of my head, I’m not sure I can come up with something quite as simple or catchy.”

“See? That’s the glory of it all. ‘Shuriken’ is a lot easier to simplify than ‘Taro.’ Even if it wasn’t, you could just call me ‘Nata’ or something along those lines.”

“Couldn’t you refer to me as ‘Oka,’ by that logic?”

Shuriken sighed and slumped her shoulders. “I mean, I _could_ , but ‘Steely’ is so much cooler. It makes you sound like a badass.”

“... Are you implying that I’m _not_ actually a badass, and that I can only play the part through a name?” Taro tipped his head to one side.

“Those are your words, not mine.”

“So it’s true?”

“I’m not saying either way,” Shuriken gave Taro a rather shit-eating grin before flopping down onto the soft grass on her back with her arms crossed behind her head. “You’re a smart boy, Steely. I’m sure you can figure it out.”

\- - -

“I don’t think I’ve got to do anything of the sort,” Shuriken rolled her eyes. “It’s bad enough I’ve had Taro pestering me about crappy old nicknames. I don’t need you getting in on that, too.”

Shuriken hadn’t realized that she’d said too much until Urahara let out a deep, amused laugh. “Wait, did you actually have the nerve to ask her about Snorey-Shuri? Even _I_ have been too afraid to bring that up!”

“Actually, I think it’s time you both get out of my house,” Shuriken’s eye physically twitched as he gaze shifted to her boyfriend beside her. “ _Goodbye_ , boys.”

“Don’t be so grumpy,” Urahara pulled Shuriken close, despite the disgruntled sound of protest that erupted from her chest. “Come on, you know you’d be really sad if I just up and left before we really spent any time together.”

“Would I? It seems neither of you know me very well,” Shuriken shrugged.

“Me?” Taro hummed. “What did I do?”

“You’re the one that got him started on this bullshit,” Shuriken closed her eyes. She had no more than slumped her shoulders when Urahara began his vicious attack.

That is to say, he _tickled_ her. Both of Shuriken’s sides were subject to the worst imaginable torture, with Urahara’s fingers causing a sensation far different from the kind he normally provided her with; the woman couldn’t control her laughter as her body spasmed. No matter how hard she tried to get away from Urahara’s hold, he had her beat, making Shuriken laugh until her frustrations - most of which were expressed in long, gasping shouts of curse words - had left her dramatic little body.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard her laugh that much, not unless it was at someone else’s expense,” Taro said rather seriously, a bit amazed by the sounds that had just escaped from his mentor’s mouth. “I’m impressed, captain.”

Shuriken was catching her breath as Urahara replied, but the moment her boyfriend began speaking she knew he was about to put his foot in his mouth.

“If you think _that’s_ impressive, you should really hear her when we--” The blond was cut off only by Shuriken’s hand clasping across his lips. She could feel him smirk against her palm as she turned to face him.

“Are you done yet?”

All Urahara could do was muffle an unapologetic, “Maybe,” in response. However, the second her hand fell, he finished his prior statement with a simple, “Fuck.”

“Yes, Kisuke, because I’m sure he couldn’t piece together what you were hinting at,” Shuriken was considerably less amused than Urahara was, though she couldn’t say that he boasted without reason. This wasn’t the sort of thing she wanted him to be bragging about to _Taro_ , though. Not at this stage in their friendship.

Regardless of the fumes that seemed to be radiating from Shuriken’s cranium, Urahara laughed and stared at her with such fondness that she couldn’t be _too_ upset with him. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention, though, and Shuriken soon turned her gaze back to Taro, who had stood up and was stretching his arms above his head. For not the first or last time, Shuriken found herself wondering how someone could be so damn tall.

“I won’t hold the two of you up any longer,” Taro spoke, and when Shuriken opened her mouth to protest he stopped her. “While I’ve enjoyed our day together, Shuriken, I’ve got plans of my own that I’ve got to tend to anyway. If you think of anything else that needs done around the house, don’t hesitate to let me know of it tomorrow.”

“See, what he’s saying is, he’s got a real hot date that’s waiting for him and he doesn’t want to keep her waiting any longer than he already has while fixing this place up,” Urahara spoke slyly. Shuriken scoffed.

“Why don’t you go with him, since you’re so convinced that whoever he’s going to see is such a babe?”

“ _Oh_ , you know no one compares to you, Shuri,” Urahara hugged her close once again. He then turned to Taro, who was watching them with a sort of bemused look on his face. “If you hear me screaming for help, though, won’t you come back and lend me a hand, Steely?”

“That puts me in a rough spot, captain,” Taro’s tone was thoughtful as he crossed his arms over his chest. “If I say I will, I’ll have made an enemy out of the very woman who would be trying to kill you. If _you_ were to fall, I’d stand no chance. Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to contact the head captain?”

“Yeah!” Urahara agreed enthusiastically. “That’d work. He’d be pretty pissed if he had to do a house call because his precious baby girl was trying to kill a captain.”

“He’d side with me before he’d side with either of you,” Shuriken spoke so bluntly that neither man could stop himself from laughing. It brought a smile to her face, too. “If you think otherwise, you’re out of your damn mind.”

“Ah, you’ve got a point, I suppose,” Urahara admitted defeat with a sigh. “After all, who could turn their back on someone as lovely as you?”

“Hey, are you sure you don’t want to stay here all night with this guy instead?” Shuriken asked Taro as she pointed to Urahara with her thumb. “Do you like cheese, Steely? Because he’s full of it. Well, that and something else.”

“Isn’t that part of my charm?” Urahara grinned from ear to ear. He was never truly phased by Shuriken’s joking remarks. While she shook her head, Taro chuckled to himself and gave the two a wave.

“I’ll see you at the office tomorrow, Shuriken,” Taro said as he walked over to the door. “Goodnight, Captain Urahara.”

“You know, when we’re off the clock, it’s totally a-okay for you to call me Kisuke, Taro,” Urahara said casually. Shuriken couldn’t deny the way that the blond male made her heart flutter, no matter how hard she tried. “Right now, I’m not here as the captain of Squad Twelve. I’m here as the doting boyfriend of a woman we both seem to be pretty fond of.”

“Shuriken once told me something similar, about calling her by her first name as opposed to her family one,” Taro found himself smiling and Urahara did, too. “I hope the two of you have a wonderful night together.”

Once Taro had departed from Shuriken’s house, it didn’t take long for the couple to end up in Shuriken’s kitchen. For the first time since they began dating, Shuriken offered Urahara the opportunity to aid her in her cooking. Within the first hour, Shuriken realized that he was a far better scientist than he was a cook. She also banned Urahara from touching her appliances ever again, lest he cause any more permanent damage.

Shunsui was far from Shuriken’s mind as she settled down with Urahara that evening but across the Seriete, she was the only thing on his. It didn’t seem to matter how hard he tried, Shunsui just couldn’t get over the woman that had stolen his heart all of those years ago.


	15. 'like a glove'

The setting sun had snuck up on Shuriken, who had found herself buried in piles of paperwork since the moment she'd walked through the doors of her office earlier that day. While Taro had helped her for the first hour or so, he'd been summoned for a mission in the Rukongai and as much as she would have preferred her pupil to stay with her, she wouldn't argue with his assignment. In fact, Shuriken had been so preoccupied in her duties that she hadn't realized that it was drawing near time to leave until Sasakibe entered her room with a cup of tea in each hand.

"Have you been in here all day, Shuriken?" Sasakibe questioned as he approached her desk. Before sitting on the side opposite of the younger woman, he handed her one of the tea cups which she graciously accepted. "If I'm not mistaken, the Head Captain gave you a couple of days to finish this work, did he not?"

"I'd have been done with it by now if you jerks hadn't taken away my protege today," Shuriken remarked without a bit of seriousness in her tone after she had enjoyed a warm, soothing sip of tea. After sitting the cup down on her desk, Shuriken stretched her arms above her head and sighed softly as her tense joints popped. "No, I honestly hadn't noticed how late it was until you came in here. Time just got away from me, I suppose."

As Shuriken turned to look over her shoulder at the sunset through her window, Sasakibe chuckled slightly. It had been far too long since Yamamoto's two favorite subordinates had sat down for a chat and rectifying that was part of the reason that Sasakibe had come to visit Shuriken this evening. Although they saw one another on an almost daily basis, they'd not been able to truly _talk_ in a while.

"How are things going between you and Captain Urahara?" Sasakibe asked once she had turned back towards him. "Or am I still supposed to be under the impression that there's nothing happening between the two of you?"

Despite having been with Urahara for several months at this point, Shuriken had yet to say anything official to either the First captain or his lieutenant. Neither Yamamoto nor Sasakibe were dumb, though, and they knew exactly what was going on between the two high-seated officers. It was hard not to, between the rumblings in the Seriete and the frequent visits between Shuriken and Urahara.

"I'm head-over-heels in love, can't you tell? Or is that why you brought this up in the first place?" Truthfully, the reason she hadn't said anything was because she didn't want to listen to a lecture from Yamamoto about how she should handle her relationship from a professional perspective, or even _worse_ , what his personal opinion about Urahara was. Even if Yamamoto was fond of Urahara, it was extremely likely that his view would change when his beloved daughter was involved.

"Ah, yes. The look on your face as you speak of him gives it away," Sasakibe said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's as though there are hearts in your eyes."

"You can't see them, but there are butterflies in my stomach, too."

"What about a flutter in your chest?"

"Chojiro, that's the most important part."

The two pseudo-siblings stared at one another with serious expressions before smiles spread across their faces. Seeing such emotion on the normally stoic lieutenant's face wasn't common but when Shuriken was involved, he found himself able to be more at ease. For as different as Shuriken and Sasakibe were, they complimented one another well.

"No, he's been very good to me. I'll admit that my history with men isn't the best, but he's like a shining gem in a huge pile of shit. I'm lucky to have him," Shuriken wasn't the most expressive with her feelings of fondness but even Sasakibe could see that she cared for Urahara. The subtle way in which her face perked up when speaking of him proved that without a shadow of a doubt. "Even if he is a _huge_ nerd and would rather spend his night cooped up in the lab than on a hot date with me. It's tragic, isn't it?"

Sasakibe scoffed. "It's hard for me to believe that you're upset when I know that you'd strangle poor Captain Urahara if he were to ever ditch work for you. What is it that he's working on tonight?"

"I'm not too sure," Shuriken said with a shrug. It amused her when Sasakibe called her out on her bullshit. "He said something about working on some new technology with that weird third seat of his. Kurashuki, or whatever his name is."

While Shuriken and _Kurotsuchi_ had only met a couple of times, she had always found him to be quite odd. Arrogant, too, for that matter. The two would always butt heads, it seemed, even after knowing one another for over a hundred years.

"I see. If he's busy, how are you planning on spending the remainder of your evening?" Sasakibe asked before taking a drink from his cup of tea. As he peered at Shuriken over the rim of his glass, it wasn't hard for her to read between the lines and figure out what he was _really_ asking her.

"You're no better than a nosy unseated officer, you know that?" Shuriken remarked as she rolled her eyes. Most would've felt a surge of instant regret, speaking to their lieutenant in such a way, but _these_ conversations weren't between two of Yamamoto's most trusted squad members. They were between two dear old friends. "I'm not going to see Shunsui, not tonight or _any_ night until he gets his shit together. It takes two to tango Chojiro, and if he's just going to continue making excuses as to why he can't see me then I'm done."

Shuriken was good at playing the part of a woman who had begun to overcome the love she'd cultivated over the majority of her life and most would've believed every word that just came from her mouth. Taro certainly would've, at this point in their friendship, and it would've been hard for those that Shuriken considered close acquaintances to see past her disguise. However, Sasakibe knew better. The man had seen Shuriken at her lowest of points, witnessed a side of her anguish that not even Shunsui and Jushiro had seen yet, and he wasn't fooled.

There wasn't a part of Sasakibe that believed Shuriken was over Shunsui and he truly found it hard to imagine she ever would be. Many conversations had taken place over the years between Sasakibe and Yamamoto, outside of Shuriken's presence, about how she and Shunsui were always two steps apart from one another. About how neither of them allowed the other to get _too_ close, regardless of how much they obviously craved the other.

"I see. That's rather unfortunate, then. I won't push you on the topic any further in that case," Sasakibe conceded. The wound was obviously a fresh one and he wasn't about to open it any further than it already was. Shuriken appreciated that; Sasakibe was awkward when it came to deeper conversations but he was always willing to listen when Shuriken felt like opening up. "Instead, I would like to pick your brain for a moment."

 _Now_ he had piqued her interest.

"What's up?"

"Well," Sasakibe began. Though subtle, Shuriken could notice that the corners of his lips were threatening to tug upwards into a smile. "I was wondering how you would feel about a placement test. Not for _you_ , as I'm well aware of how comfortable you are in your position, but for--"

" _Holy shit_!" Shuriken momentarily lost her composure as a rush of excitement overcame her. "You've finally noticed how great Steely is, haven't you?!"

A small, singular chuckle came from Sasakibe's chest. "You could say that. The fact that you have been so adamant about his training over the past few months has captured not only my eye, but the Head Captain's as well. Before he scheduled anything, he wanted to see how you felt on the matter," He explained. "Do you believe Okazaki is ready to gain a seated position, Shuriken?"

Simply knowing that Yamamoto had noticed the hard work that Taro had been doing brought a surge of pride to Shuriken. Of course, he probably wouldn't have paid much attention to Taro, had it not been for _Shuriken's_ interest in him, but that was alright. The point of the matter was that Taro had made an impression on Shuriken's old man.

The woman had to take a few seconds to regain her composure and put some thought into the matter before giving her answer, lest she give a biased response based solely on her excitement for her student (and friend).

"I do," Shuriken spoke up after a moment. "He's made a lot of progress in our time together and I believe he's only going to get better as time goes on. His zanpakuto is a tricky one and I don't think he's fully mastered his shikai yet, but he's definitely on the right path. With the right guidance, he'll become one of the most reliable and formidable members of our division."

"You think so?" Sasakibe was pleasantly surprised to hear that Shuriken thought so highly of Taro. He had expected her to have faith in him, naturally, but the words that she had spoken had great meaning coming from her. If Shuriken saw potential in Taro then Sasakibe trusted her judgement. "I'll make the proper arrangements, then, and when the time comes I'll let you be the one to tell him. It would only be fitting for him to receive such news from the woman who has helped guide him to this point."

"Now you're just stroking my ego," Shuriken laughed. "I haven't awakened anything in Taro that wasn't there before. In fact, he may teach me a thing or two before all of this is over!"

"Really? And what could he teach someone as old and wise as yourself?"

Sasakibe knew exactly what he had said and he knew the exact response he would receive. Yet, when such an amusing, aggravated look crossed Shuriken's previously pleased face, he couldn't stop himself from grinning. The silver-haired lieutenant would _always_ enjoy pestering Shuriken about her age.

"Oh fuck off, you old toad," Shuriken huffed as she looked for something to throw at Sasakibe. A quick search resulted in disappointment as she couldn't find anything that she was willing to risk breaking just for the satisfaction of thumping the smug bastard. "I'm the most youthful member of our hierarchy!"

"That won't be the case if Okazaki gains a seat," Sasakibe remarked almost thoughtfully. He could basically _feel_ the scorn as Shuriken's eye twitched.

"I take back what I said. Steely's not ready."

"Really? You would be willing to knock your prized protege out of a promotion just to satisfy your own vain personality?" Though he seemed surprised, he really wasn't. After all, it wasn't as if Shuriken _truly_ wanted to take the opportunity away from Taro.

 _Twitch_.

"If he's as young and spry as you say he is, he'll have plenty of other chances. All of them will just be over my dead body."

"I don't recall saying he's either young _or_ spry. I just pointed out that he's younger than _you_."

"Next you're going to rub it in my face that he's a damn genius with kido, huh? Oh yeah, that's _really_ nice of you, Chojiro. Asshole."

"Okay, I most certainly didn't say anything about his kido. I'm not surprised to hear that it's better than yours, though. You have a rather impressive record when it comes to being _un_ impressive with your spells."

 _Twitch, twitch_.

"I think now would be a good time for me to leave," Shuriken downed the remainder of her tea, which had begun to grow cold, before sitting the empty glass on her desk and rising to her feet. Almost as if a switch had flipped in her brain, Shuriken said, "You wanted to know what my plans were for tonight. Since Taro's gone and Kisuke's busy, I plan on taking some time for myself to train my bankai again. I've put my own progress on hold lately and that's been a mistake I'm looking forward to correcting."

Hearing what Shuriken planned to do, Sasakibe nodded in approval. At times over the past few months, Sasakibe had noticed that Shuriken had been rather down in the dumps. Being at odds with one of her dearest friends had taken a toll on Shuriken, he knew, but it was nice to see her honing her craft once again. The work she was doing with Taro was certainly impressive, but Sasakibe knew all too well just how much the woman enjoyed one-on-one time with her zanpakuto.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Shuriken. It would be a shame for Okazaki to find you unconscious upon his return."

"Nah, it might help build some character. You never know!"

With a wave of her hand, Shuriken exited her office with a grin upon her lips. Sasakibe sat there a moment longer, his pupil free eyes flickering over to one of the pictures that Shuriken kept on the wall beside her window. The one Sasakibe rested on in particular was the one taken on our trio's graduation day, with Shuriken on top of Shunsui's shoulders and Jushiro posing along with them.

Sasakibe knew that things would work themselves out eventually, but he couldn't help but hope that his third seat's personal life calmed down sooner rather than later.

-

Although it had taken him far longer than it should've, as Shuriken left the office to work on her bankai, Shunsui realized that he had spent far too much time away from the woman he loved and that, some way or another, he needed to speak to her. To say _something_ and end the air of awkwardness that had been brewing between them since the day of Urahara's promotion to captain.

However, for as adept and wise as Shunsui could be when it came to his duties as a Soul Reaper, in most situations that involved Shuriken he was an absolute fool. Never before had they gone so long without speaking to one another and Shunsui wasn't quite sure how to mend the broken bridge between them, no matter how long or hard he thought about it. In times such as these, what was a man to do aside from turn to the company of his best friend?

Poor, poor Jushiro. The sweet, white-haired male had been placed in the middle of Shunsui and Shuriken's dramatic situation and Shunsui truly did feel awful about that. Even though he wouldn't admit it, Shunsui knew that seeing he and Shuriken at odds broke Jushiro's heart. They had always been a trio, one of the most formidable that the Soul Society had ever known, and they were at their best when they were together. It had been Shunsui himself that had torn them apart and he knew that, he knew that all too well.

"Ju? You still here?" Shunsui asked while opening the door to the Thirteenth captain's office with one hand and holding a jug of sake in the other. He knew that it was a long shot, coming by Jushiro's division at this time of day, but to Shunsui's relief, he found Jushiro sitting behind his desk with an aggravated look on his typically bright face. "What's wrong? I've got to admit, I really didn't think I'd find you here. I thought I'd wind up on a wild goose hunt, chasing your trail around the Seriete like a scorned lover."

"Kaien shot me down again. I know that I'll be able to convince him to join my squad, but I do wish he wouldn't be so adamant in his refusal," Despite the mood he had been in, though, Jushiro couldn't help but chuckle at Shunsui's words. "If I'd known you'd put that much effort into finding me, I'd have asked him that we meet elsewhere."

"Now that's just cold. What if I had _never_ found you? Would you have let me wander around aimlessly until I died from starvation?" Shunsui feigned a pout as he closed the door behind him with his foot. While making his way over to Jushiro's desk and sitting down, he continued, "I like to hope that a pretty girl would have found me and taken me in, rescuing me from the brink of death. Then, we would have fallen in love and--"

"I'm going to stop you there. On a good day, I'm not in the mood to listen to your erotic fantasies," Jushiro shook his head but Shunsui could tell that his friend's spirits had already begun to rise because of Shunsui's presence. Seeing Jushiro perk up brought joy to Shunsui himself. "What brings you by tonight, Shunsui?"

"Do I have to have a reason to see my best friend? Besides, I brought us a nice jar of sake to share!" The look Jushiro shot Shunsui wasn't a surprising one, as it showed that he wasn't buying his bullshit for even a moment. "... Okay, you caught me, I guess. I'm actually here to talk about Shuri."

With the way things had been between them, it didn't feel right for Shunsui to call her by his patented _Ri_ nickname. Simultaneously, he wasn't sure that he wanted to be so formal as to call her _Shuriken_ , so he opted on the usual way those familiar with the trio's third member addressed her. A compromise of sorts.

"You shouldn't be talking to me about her and I'm sure you know that. Any questions you have regarding Shuri should be answered by her herself," Jushiro's brows furrowed as he spoke, his tone rather scolding. "She is fine, as far as I know, but I'm sure she would benefit from a conversation with you. That is, if you can put aside your jealousy long enough to think rationally."

 _Ouch_. Jushiro never pulled any punches with Shunsui on the topic of Shuriken and Shunsui knew that it was better this way. If Jushiro coddled him, it would only make Shunsui feel more justified in his pettiness and that wouldn't be good for anyone. He needed a kick in the ass from everyone around him.

Shunsui didn't bother looking for any glasses and instead, he removed the cork from the sake and moved the bottle to his lips. No, he was far too sober for this conversation and though Shunsui closed his eyes as he took a long, hard drink, he was aware of the daggers Jushiro seemed to glare through his very being. When Shunsui once more looked to Jushiro, the venom had vacated his stare.

"See, I'm wanting to try and go patch things up but I don't have any idea how I should go about it. I know I've been a dick but at the same time, it's killing me not seeing her anymore. I know she's probably too mad at me to really listen, but I've got to try," Shunsui _needed_ to see Shuriken again, to take in that beautiful smile of hers or hear her smart-ass laugh. Hell, he'd kill to have her slap his chest in response to a misplaced remark.

Jushiro gave a heavy sigh as he momentarily closed his eyes. As he sat there, silent and thoughtful, Shunsui wanted to squirm in his seat. What was going on in that intelligent head of his? Was he going to - politely - tell him to fuck off? That Shuriken was finally sick of his bullshit? Or that she-

"You're thinking too much about it, Shunsui. Just find her and talk to her; it doesn't have to be complicated, does it? The two of you have always fit one another like a glove. You'll never get anywhere if you spend your time worrying about it."

There was a hint of relief in Jushiro's green eyes, Shunsui believed, once they opened. Regardless of what Jushiro had said, however, Shunsui failed to believe that things _could_ be that easy. Shuriken was mad at him and while this wasn't their first falling out, it was certainly the worst thus far.

"Do you think she'll actually listen to me?" Shunsui's lower lip pushed out into a pout as his brows narrowed in concern. "I'm not sure when the best time to talk to her would be, either. If I bother her at work, she'll be pissed, but if I wait until _after_ hours, there's a solid chance she'll be with that boyfriend of hers. I'm pretty much damned if I do and damned if I don't."

Every time that Shunsui referred to Urahara as Shuriken's boyfriend, it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"If the festival wasn't still a month and a half away, I'd suggest you do it there. I doubt Captain Urahara will follow her into the kitchen," Jushiro remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Then again, if you disturb her _there_ , it could be far worse than showing up in her office."

Jushiro surely had a point there. Shuriken was a force to be reckoned with when she was interrupted during the work day, but when she was in the kitchen, she was just as, if not _more_ , focused.

However, Jushiro's mention of the festival had given Shunsui an idea.

"That's it!" Shunsui exclaimed with a grin. "I'll go see her after this month's tea ceremony. There's no way in hell that Urahara will be there for that; it's _sacred_ to the old man and I'm sure Shuri would kill him if he tried to interrupt that."

"And so you believe you'd be immune to her wrath, were _you_ to show up?" Jushiro scoffed, though Shunsui could tell that there was a bit of amusement creeping onto his friend's face. "You really are as dense as a brick, Shunsui."

"I'm positive that Old Man Yama would protect me from whatever cruel actions she'd try to commit."

"Really? He's more likely to protect _you_ than Captain Urahara?"

"Obviously. I'm his favorite, after all!"

"Favorite captain, or favorite student?"

"Both?"

Jushiro had been able to withhold his laughter thus far, but _that_ was the breaking point. "You realize that neither of us will ever hold the place in his heart that Shuri does, don't you?"

Their banter had lifted Shunsui's spirits, even if he continued to feel a pain in his chest at the mere thought of the third member of their trio. "That's not fair. She's got a special place in the heart of _everyone_ she comes into contact with."

"While I'm sure there are many that would disagree with you, you've made a good point," Jushiro said before once more gaining a scolding undertone to his voice. "That's exactly why you have to make up with her, Shunsui. This foolishness has gone on long enough. I understand your jealousy as much as I can, but you've got no one to blame but yourself for not making a move on her sooner. Don't lose her forever just because you're too bullheaded to take a risk."

Shunsui gave a heavy sigh before taking a long drink from his sake bottle. It was then that he realized he _probably_ should've brought more with him. Or maybe it was good that he only had one bottle; at least that way, Jushiro wouldn't have to haul his ass home later.

"Don't you ever get tired of being right all the time? I'm sure it's got to be annoying after a while."

"You'd be surprised. Aren't you ever tired of being _wrong_?"

"Occasionally, yes. Just about as often as I get tired of making an ass of myself."

"But isn't that what you're best at?"

"Honestly? I think so. If only I could get paid for such a thing."

"Wouldn't that be lovely?"

Although Jushiro was still upset over Kaien's rejection, the possibility of his friends reconnecting brought a sort of hope into his soul. However, as Shunsui and Jushiro both should have known, nothing was ever that easy.


	16. 'hostility'

For as long as Shuriken had been a member of the First Division, monthly tea ceremonies had been a staple of their routine. At the beginning of her tenure, the ceremony had merely consisted of preparing and consuming a variety of teas from both Eastern and Western cultures; however, once Shuriken had ascended the ranks, Yamamoto recruited her to provide food for the event. In typical Japanese tea ceremony fashion, each month Shuriken prepared a complete multi-course kaiseki ryori meal for her colleagues.

Of course, this particular month’s ceremony was no different.

Shuriken always looked forward to these days in her division. They provided a bit of serenity in the ever chaotic life of the Soul Reaper and always succeeded in bringing the members of the First closer together. It also gave everyone the opportunity to see a side of the Captain-Commander that rarely came to light, a side that was easy to forget when faced with his wrath. 

After the tea consumption, Yamamoto always insisted that the members of his squad sat around and enjoyed the presence of one another. To Shuriken, this was the perfect moment to speak to her protege and share some good news with him. Earlier in the day, Sasakibe had informed Shuriken that Taro would be taking his seat placement exam in two weeks time.

“Steely? Walk out here with me for a few minutes,” Shuriken spoke as she rose to her feet, her oceanic eyes locked on Taro’s rugged face. The subtle look of surprise that he wore was amusing. Taro followed Shuriken outside and to the gorgeous garden that surrounded the large tatami room in which the tea ceremonies were held; the Captain-Commander took great pride in the scenery of his division, his garden especially. 

The two approached the railing and as Shuriken turned to lean her back against it, Taro moved to stand in front of her. Shuriken’s arms moved to cross over her chest while Taro’s remained by his side. 

“I’m going to ask you something Steely and I want you to be honest with me. How much do you like it here in the First?”

“How much do I-? That’s an odd question,” Taro was obviously a bit taken aback by his mentor’s inquiry. “I should hope that it’s apparent that I very much enjoy being here alongside you and the Head Captain. I’ve learned more in our time together than I did during my entire tenure in the Tenth and I admit that part of that is due to my previous lack of aspiration.”

“So you agree that our lieutenant is a pain in the ass? Good to hear,” The grin that came to Shuriken’s face was the polar opposite of the grimace Taro now wore.

“Now Shuriken, that’s not what I--”

“I’m just giving you a hard time, don’t get all bent out of shape. I didn’t ask you to join me out here to talk about Chojiro. I was just interested in hearing how you felt about the First before I shared some good news with you, that’s all.”

Taro’s curiosity had reached a new level as he stared down at Shuriken. “What is it?”

For a moment, Shuriken simply stared up at Taro in order to make him sweat it out. The longer he waited, the better he’d feel when he finally heard what it was that she had to say. Just as Shuriken had hoped, when she spoke, a look of excitement came to Taro’s face that she hadn’t ever seen before.

“Two weeks from now, you’ll join the lieutenant and I in the training grounds east of the barracks for a placement exam. If everything goes well, you’ll be given a promotion to a seated position in the squad. If not… It just means that there’s a lot more work that we’ll have to do.”

Initially, Taro was quiet as the news sank in. Had he heard her right? Had his opportunity finally arrived?

The look on her face said it all. Taro didn’t believe that Shuriken would joke about such a serious topic anyway, but the sincerity that graced her beautiful features was heartwarming.

“Thank you, Shuriken. I promise that I won’t let you down.”

Shuriken smirked up at the taller male, their shared expression saying more than her own words ever could. She was proud of Taro, he knew she was, and regardless of how his exam went, that wouldn’t change. However, underneath his reserved exterior, the man was bustling with joy.  _ Finally _ , his opportunity to shine had presented itself and he didn’t plan on letting it slip by.

The navy haired woman would later wish she had just stayed out in the garden with Taro, to spare herself of the emotional encounter that would come later in the day. But of course, the way things proceeded was just as much her fault as anyone else’s.

-

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Ri?”

Urahara Kisuke was many things but one of them was not a fool. Since the day he had met Yamamoto’s beloved daughter, he’d had the sneaking suspicion that her heart wasn’t as free as she made it out to be. The interactions between her and her closest friends were sincere and authentic, though on an initial viewing there was no reason to fear that there were any other emotions brewing amongst them.

Even upon a deeper analysis, it was hard for anyone to argue that there were feelings of romance between Shuriken and Jushiro. The two were close, surely, but Urahara had never felt any jealousy when the white-haired captain was involved and this was without Urahara knowing of Jushiro’s sexuality. At no point during Shuriken and Jushiro’s friendship had either of them thought of the other in more than a platonic or familial manner and that was apparent in their interactions.

Before this specific day in question, Urahara would have even argued that Shuriken did not have an infatuation with the third member of the famous trio, regardless of the obvious way Shunsui cared for her. The night that Urahara and Shunsui had spoken before his first date with Shuriken had proven that without a doubt, but whether it be due to Urahara’s own naivety or Shuriken’s adamant denial of her feelings for Shunsui, Urahara had believed that was all that there was to it. That Shunsui’s love for Shuriken was one-sided, unrequited, and unacknowledged, to the point that even she herself wasn’t aware of it.

Yet now, as Urahara stood by her side and watched as Shuriken and Shunsui met for the first time in months, he felt his heart drop to the pits of his stomach.

The most tell-tale sign of it all was the way that, if even for a moment, Shuriken’s baby blue eyes lit up when they landed on her old friend. Not once had she ever looked at Urahara with such adoration. Had it not been a look that brought Urahara such pain, he’d have almost assumed that he’d hallucinated it because of how quickly it had come and gone from her face.

It didn’t help that Shunsui wasn’t moving his own gaze anywhere away from Shuriken. Urahara felt like a total dunce as he stood there, surrounded by members of Shuriken’s division - including the Captain-Commander and his loyal lieutenant - while watching the woman who he had grown so fond of share such an intense moment with another man.

Before long, Shunsui had cracked a smile that even Urahara had to admit would look awkward on anyone else. Shuriken, who had been standing so comfortably underneath Urahara’s arm, removed herself from beneath his limb and began slowly walking across the garden to where Shunsui stood.

“I know that you probably aren’t in the mood to talk, but--”

_ SMACK!!! _

Without a moment of hesitation, Shuriken had slapped Shunsui’s left cheek with her right, open-palmed hand. The sound reverberated off the nearby walls and left the Eighth captain and  _ all  _ other members of the First Division stunned. Urahara’s own mouth had opened ever so slightly as his gaze shifted quickly between Shuriken and Shunsui. While the blow itself surely hadn’t been life-threatening, Shuriken hadn’t held much back; a bright, red imprint of her hand remained on his cheek.

Not a single word escaped Shuriken’s mouth as, with a scowl upon her lips, she began walking  _ past  _ Shunsui. Her right hand dangled by her side, now clenched in a fist, and her left raised in a ‘follow me’ motion that Urahara knew was meant for him. After bowing respectfully to the Captain-Commander, who was as unreadable as ever, Urahara turned to follow the woman who had begun to bring his heart so much turmoil.

Only for a second did Urahara and Shunsui lock eyes before the older male pulled his straw hat down with a sigh. It wasn’t Urahara’s place to say anything, he knew that, but perhaps it was the self-destructive part of him that wanted to talk to Shunsui about what had just happened. About the  _ way  _ Shuriken had looked at him before she had smacked him. If Shunsui had been so oblivious to that, it made Urahara wonder just how many other times he’d overlooked Shuriken’s attraction to him.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it, but if you ever do, I’m here, alright? There’s obviously been a lot of hostility between you two since we started dating, and--”

“Kisuke,” Shuriken cut him off as they continued to walk. Urahara knew by the path they were taking that she was leading them towards her home; they’d be there before long at all, as she didn’t live too far into the First. “We’ve never talked about it because there’s nothing to talk about. If he wants to act like a fucking baby, let him. I’m tired of it. It’s just like him to show up and try and act like nothing’s happened, like he hasn’t spent the past few months avoiding me as though  _ I’m  _ a problem. I got no apology. No admission of guilt. Nothing.”

_ You really didn’t even give him a chance to say anything. Who are you trying to fool, Shuri? Because it sure as shit isn’t working on me. You were thrilled to see Shunsui, no matter how mad you are at him. _

When Urahara had arrived in the First only an hour earlier, Shuriken had been as cheerful and vibrant as she always was on the days that held the sacred tea ceremonies that Yamamoto kept so close to his heart. She’d informed Urahara, with as much enthusiasm as Shuriken was capable of expressing, of Taro’s upcoming exam; when Urahara had wished Taro luck, even though he had also said he wouldn’t need it, Shuriken had worn a gorgeous smile.

“Whatever you say, dear.”

It wasn’t worth arguing over, not now anyway. Urahara had been able to read between the lines and while he was now certain that Shuriken was hiding her feelings for Shunsui, it wasn’t as if she  _ didn’t  _ care about Urahara himself. That would be foolish to believe. Shuriken wouldn’t waste the time on a relationship that she saw no future in, would she?

Upon arrival at Shuriken’s house, Urahara had little more than shut the door behind them when Shuriken’s lips found his in a heated kiss. While Urahara wasn’t about to push her away or stop the passionate exchange that would soon follow, he couldn’t help but feel as though part of Shuriken had jumped him out of spite for Shunsui. Had Urahara questioned her about it, Shuriken would have certainly denied it, but he wasn’t that bold.

Especially not when the obvious answer was that she, most definitely, had done just that.

-

There weren’t many people that Urahara felt completely comfortable discussing his life with, and while he and Hirako weren’t the  _ closest _ , Urahara had always felt as though he could say whatever he needed to around him. Both males had more in common than the blond color of their hair and from the day Urahara had been promoted, Hirako had taken an interest in him. If Urahara could come to Hirako for professional advice, who was to say that he couldn’t bring him over for some personal wisdom as well?

“So, what’d you bring me over here for anyway, huh?” Hirako asked as he, rather crudely, raised a pinky finger to his ear and began scraping around his lobe. The two captains sat outside of the Twelfth barracks, just resting against the bannisters and enjoying the soft night sky. Only a few hours had passed since the aforementioned events in the First Division and on his way back home, Urahara had asked Hirako to spare some time. “I hope it’s not to look at some stupid fucking artificial body experiment again, because those just creep me out.”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Urahara waved Hirako’s worries away. He had learned early on into this ‘friendship’ - or whatever it was - that sweet old Captain Hirako wasn’t exactly a science buff. “I actually just wanted to ask for some advice, if you’re willing to help me out.”

“Is it about Hiyori? Because I can’t really offer any advice when she’s concerned,” Hirako shrugged lamely. “She’s just an angry little gremlin. You have to accept that or--”

“ _ Shinji, you bald jackass _ !” Hiyori, as if on cue, shouted from the nearby barracks. Urahara hadn’t spoken to her since he had returned that night but based on their location, he assumed that she was helping Kurotsuchi wrap up for the night. “ _ I can hear you, you jerk _ !”

“See? She’ll never change.”

Despite the worries gnawing away at Urahara’s gut, he couldn’t help but to laugh at his lieutenant and her old friend.

“I wouldn’t ever want her to. It’s actually not Hiyori that I’m needing to talk to you about, it’s--”

“Natazaki, huh?” Hirako cut Urahara off. As Hirako looked over at Urahara, he carelessly flicked the ear wax from his finger. “I should’ve known you’d come to me for help sooner or later. You know, considering the history she and I have together.”

Of course, as most would know, Hirako was merely talking out of his ass. The way in which Hirako spoke of Shuriken to Urahara was vastly different from the way he discussed her with Shunsui; he changed his story based on what would rile whoever he was talking to up more.

“What? Since when do you and Shuri have a history together?” Urahara raised a brow in confusion as he looked towards Hirako.

“There’s no easy way for me to say this, so I guess I’ll just have to put it all out on the line,” Hirako gave a dramatic sigh. “You see, Natazaki Shuriken was my first love.”

She most certainly was  _ not _ . Not only had Shuriken and Hirako never slept together, they hadn’t even gone on a single date. There had been truth in what Hirako had told Shunsui on the day that he and Rojuro had gone to ask for Shunsui’s musical advice - Shuriken had never even been seen as an option for most higher-ranked officials and it really was because of her association with Shunsui. Had Shinji known that she was available earlier on,  _ well… _

“She was, huh?” Urahara doubted the authenticity of Hirako’s claim but at the same time, he found it hard to believe Hirako had a reason to lie about it.

“Yep. And because of that, she was the first woman to break my heart. I’m sure the same won’t be the case for you two, though. You’re far more compatible than she and I were.”

“Uh-huh,” Urahara muttered. “So anyway, are you willing to help me out?”

Hirako hummed thoughtfully for a moment before giving a nonchalant shrug. “Sure. I don’t see why not.”

Though Hirako had, mainly, been trying to lighten the mood, Urahara couldn’t help the feeling of unease that continued to bubble in his stomach. For not the first time, he found himself realizing just  _ how much  _ he had begun to care for Yamamoto’s daughter.

“Well, I’m going to present you with a hypothetical situation, okay? Now keep in mind that all of this is  _ totally _ not a real scenario and I’m just making something up so that if the situation ever  _ does _ arrive, and I’m totally sure it won’t, I’ll be prepared. Okay?”

Urahara’s ramble had gone in one ear and out the other, but regardless, Hirako nodded and mumbled words of encouragement.

“So, let’s say that my sweet little Shuri had an old friend that couldn’t be more obvious with his attraction for her. Like, he’s  _ absolutely fucking smitten _ , even if he doesn’t completely realize it himself. Now, once again I am still speaking hypothetically, Shuri’s relationship with me caused a rift between her and this friend that I mentioned. What if she happened to see him for the first time in, oh, I don’t know, a few months, and as ill-luck would have it, she was over-the-moon the moment she laid eyes on him?”

The way in which Urahara explained his situation was rather frustrating to Hirako and he, truly, was tired of it.

“So, Shunsui finally got the balls to go talk to her, eh?” Hirako said, his tone neutral. “How’d that go?” When Urahara opened his mouth to respond, Hirako interjected, “And please, spare me from that ‘hypothetical’ bullshit. I’m really not in the mood.”

Urahara sighed. “Well, he  _ tried  _ to talk to her. Shuri slapped him before he could really say anything. After that, we went back to her house and had what I could only describe as the angriest sex I’ve ever had.”

“Was it good, though?”

“Yes,” Urahara rolled his eyes as a hint of annoyance entered his voice. “It was  _ really  _ good, Shinji. I’d love to share all the juicy details with you, but can we please focus on the task at hand?”

“Right, right,” Hirako grinned for just a moment before returning to a more melancholy expression. He was more amused by the thought of Shuriken knocking Shunsui’s head off with a slap than he was by the intense way Shuriken and Urahara had fucked. “You said she lit up when she saw him, huh? I’m guessing that didn’t last long, based on the way she knocked him.”

Urahara shook his head as, with another sigh, he closed his eyes. With his forehead resting against the railing, Urahara tried to find a way to settle his growing nerves.

“For just a second, she was on cloud nine. Like a light had returned to her life after being gone for so very long,” Urahara explained, dejected. “Know what the most fucked up part of it all is?”

“What’s that?”

“I’ve never seen her look that way at me.”

Hirako turned his head to look towards his love-struck colleague, wearing an expression of empathy. The other male hadn’t known Shuriken  _ or  _ Shunsui for as long as Hirako himself had so it was only natural that all of this came as a surprise to him. Shunsui’s infatuation, from an outsider point of view, was certainly more apparent; however, as Urahara had now learned, it wasn’t that hard to notice Shuriken’s, either. For as long as Hirako had known the two older Soul Reapers, they had been just this way.

In fact, they had been this way up until Urahara had come into the picture. He’d really thrown a monkey wrench into the betting pool that Hirako and his fellow future Visord had created about when Shunsui and Shuriken would officially become an item.

“It’s a sticky situation you’ve got yourself in, my friend,” Hirako wasn’t one to sugarcoat anything. “I’m not really the best person to ask about either of them, if you want me to be honest. You’d be much better off going to Jushiro for something like that. I will tell you, though, that badass girls like Natazaki are complicated. Stubborn, too. If you try to bring up the subject before she’s ready to talk about it, I can just about guarantee that  _ you’ll  _ be the one who gets his head slapped off.”

Based on the way Shuriken had responded earlier when Urahara brought up the subject, he believed Hirako had a good point there.

“On the other hand, I wouldn’t give up just because she got excited to see an old friend. Natazaki’s a lot of things but I don’t think she’s the two-timing type of bitch, you get me? If she’s with you now, and you’re really what she wants, she’s not going to let Shunsui get in the way of the two of you being together.”

While Urahara appreciated the words, and while he did suspect that there was some truth in them, he found himself wondering just what it was that Jushiro would have to say if questioned on the subject. Shuriken, Urahara knew, would surely be mad at him if she found out that he’d gone to the white-haired male to pry on her personal affairs but could he really be blamed for his curiosity?

“You know, Natazaki would be pretty dumb to want to settle down with a weird science dude like you anyway,” Neither Urahara nor Hirako had noticed that Hiyori had approached them until she spoke. The typical, teasing way that she spoke was just the same as Urahara had become accustomed to and yet, in the context of the situation, her words stung.

“Damn, Hiyori! Way to kick a guy when he’s down,” Shinji said as the smaller girl leapt over the bannisters so that she could stand in front of the two males. The playful, snaggle-toothed grin she wore was soon replaced by an awkward look, one that almost displayed her regret upon seeing just how upset Urahara truly was.

“I’m not saying Captain Kyoraku is a real winner either, because he’s really not. He’s just a dumb old pervert that drinks and chases women all day,” Hiyori cleared her throat as she glanced towards Shinji for help. She couldn’t admit that she was wrong but she also clearly didn’t want her captain to be down on himself too much. “You just bring really weird shit into the barracks.”

“Name one time that I’ve brought weird shit into the barracks, Hiyori,” Urahara defended himself with as genuine of a smile as he could muster at the moment.

“Well for  _ one _ , you brought Kurotsuchi in here. He’s pretty damn weird.”

“My, must you try and drag  _ my  _ name through the mud as well?” Kurotsuchi chimed in; he must’ve followed Hiyori out once they’d finished for the night. There wasn’t any concern of Kurotsuchi eavesdropping or feeding into unnecessary gossip, Urahara knew; frankly, a social life was the least of Kurotsuchi’s concerns. “Your immaturity never ceases to amaze me.”

“Don’t you ever shut up?!  _ Ugh _ ! You’re more annoying than that stupid baldy!” Hiyori groaned in annoyance as she pointed towards Hirako.

“And now you’re trying to diminish the reputation of yet another captain. I’m quite surprised that you’ve not been stripped of your lieutenant’s position yet, you know. I would be  _ far  _ more suited for the role.”

While Hiyori and Kurotsuchi continued to bicker, Urahara returned his attention to Hirako. The Fifth captain had risen to his feet, his posture slumped over just a tad.

“Listen, don’t let it get you down too much, okay? Talk to Jushiro if you want to, just be sure Natazaki doesn’t catch wind of it. Personally, though, I’d just wait it out. When a girl makes up her mind, it’s really hard to change it,” Without a proper  _ goodbye _ , Hirako waved and turned on his heel. Urahara’s eyes narrowed as he watched Hirako walk away, feeling as though he’d suddenly been given far too many choices.

Where things would be going from there, Urahara wasn’t certain. What he did know for sure was that the way he felt for Natazaki Shuriken wasn’t merely a crush or a simple infatuation.

No, Urahara had fucked up and begun falling in love with a woman he wasn’t sure would ever fully reciprocate his feelings. The man of science had found himself in a troublesome situation that he wasn’t quite sure how to weasel his way out of, nor was he sure he wanted to.

_ Well _ , Urahara finally decided as Hiyori and Kurotsuchi began taking their argument down the hall,  _ maybe that’s okay _ . He’d worried himself enough for one night and continuing to dwell on the current situation would do him no good. For now, it would be better if he just got some rest.


	17. 'ladies night'

For one reason or another, Shuriken had never been the best at making friends with other females. During her academy years, she assumed that it had been due to the fact that she spent almost all of her free time with only Shunsui and/or Jushiro, but upon graduating, she’d just never found a need for expanding her friendship circle. Most females that she came into contact with were either members of her own division (who were typically too afraid of her to say much), other high-ranking members of the Gotei 13 (who she never had  _ time  _ to communicate with), or lovers that Shunsui had brought around for some reason or another (and who, in turn, she was never too fond of).

Truthfully, Shuriken wasn’t  _ used  _ to spending time with other ladies. Most of her time in the office was spent with Yamamoto, Sasakibe, and/or Taro, and outside of the office she currently gravitated towards Urahara or Jushiro. Previously, she’d rather enjoyed Lisa’s companionship; however, it seemed like those days had now passed due to Shuriken and Shunsui’s falling out. That, she believed, was a damn shame.

However, after the incident following the most recent tea ceremony, Urahara had made a suggestion that Shuriken had found to be quite refreshing. He’d even been kind enough to ask her about it ahead of time so that she couldn’t use the excuse of having to do something work related.

“Ah, there you are, Shuriken! I’ve got to say, you’re showing up later than I had expected.”

The sight that Shuriken was met with as she walked into one of the small restaurants on the outskirts of the Seriete was one that partially surprised her. Though she had expected to spend the day with Captain Shihoin and her favorite guard, Shuriken had  _ not  _ imagined that they would have arrived before her. It seemed that Shuriken and Shihoin had shared the same thought.

Shihoin, on top of that, wasn’t dressed in her usual Gotei 13 appropriate garb. Similarly to Shuriken, Shihoin had exchanged her typical attire for a far more comfortable, relaxed kimono that was far more casual than professional. However, the detail stitched into the seams of Shihoin’s robes was considerably more impressive than what Shuriken wore.

Then again, Shuriken also wasn’t the current leader of one of the four great noble families of the Soul Society. Not that such petty, materialistic differences meant anything to Shuriken anyway.

“I’m still twenty minutes ahead of schedule, captain. If anything, I’ve got to say that seeing  _ you  _ so early is the surprise.”

Though Shuriken’s gaze was on Shihoin, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the way that the smallest woman of the group’s face seemed to twitch in aggravation. When she began speaking, Shuriken looked down at her with hidden amusement.

“How  _ dare  _ you speak to Lady Yoruichi in such a way?! I expected more from the Captain-Commander’s daughter!”

“Really? I suppose you expected me to be a carbon copy of the old man, huh? I hate to break it to you, but we’re not as similar as you might think,” Shuriken responded cooly. She shared a brief, entertained glance with Shihoin, one that the tiny, fierce female seemed to completely miss. “What’s your name, kid?”

“I am  _ not  _ a child!” The woman protested proudly. Her brows were furrowed, her lips pursed, and her eyes glared up at Shuriken with a rough tenacity that Shuriken respected. “My name is Soi Fon and I have dedicated my life to serving Lady Yoruichi! That includes protecting her from such troublesome Soul Reapers as yourself, Miss Natazaki, who refuse to show her the respect she deserves!”

Soi Fon stood her ground, even after a few silent moments had passed. When Shuriken and Shihoin simultaneously erupted into laughter, Soi Fon could only stare up at Shihoin in a mixture of horror and embarrassment.

“Lighten up, Soi Fon!” Shihoin grinned as she placed a hand atop the smaller gal’s head, ruffling her short hair in the process. “You haven’t got to be so uptight all the time. Shuri’s just giving you a hard time!”

Truthfully, Shuriken found it to be quite funny that Soi Fon was so quick to jump to Shihoin’s defense, regardless of who she had to rebel against to do so. It wasn’t often that Shuriken met women who weren’t afraid or intimidated by her so Soi Fon’s reaction had been a pleasant surprise.

“You know what? You’re okay, Soi Fon. I think the three of us are going to have a nice time today,” Shuriken said as the aforementioned female continued to blush under Shihoin’s palm.

In spite of the primarily male dominated groups that Shuriken had found herself placed in in the past, as she began walking around the shopping districts with two of Urahara’s oldest friends, Shuriken found her spirits rising more and more with each step. After the turmoil that seeing Shunsui once again had stirred in the pit of her stomach, Shuriken decided the one thing she needed was a day out with the ladies.

-

_ Thud _ .

“Damn, Shuri! You can really handle your liquor, can’t you?”

_ Thunk! _

“As can you, Captain Shihoin! It’s impressive.”

_ Twitch. _

The feeling of jealousy that surged through Soi Fon as she watched Shuriken and Shihoin clink their glasses together was one she couldn’t control. Throughout their day with Yamamoto’s daughter, Soi Fon had, admittedly, enjoyed Shuriken’s company; there were aspects of their personality that clashed, sure, but Soi Fon could respect Shuriken as a Soul Reaper and as one of the oldest, high ranking members of the Gotei 13.

What Soi Fon did  _ not  _ like was the way that Shuriken and Shihoin seemed to just hit it off. It wasn’t very often that Shihoin took a true, genuine interest in others but it seemed as though she was already quite fond of Shuriken.

“How many times am I going to have to tell you to call me Yoruichi, huh?” Shihoin wore a bright blush across her beautiful cheeks as she took another drink from her glass.

“Why do you sound just like Kisuke? He harassed me about the same thing when we first met!” Shuriken laughed as if that were the funniest sentence she’d ever spoken. Her face had also flushed due to the alcohol increasing the temperature of her body; upon an initial inspection, Soi Fon wasn’t sure which of the two was the most intoxicated.

“I understand that he’s your boyfriend, but do  _ not  _ compare Lady Yoruichi to that man!” Soi Fon couldn’t stop herself from leaping to Shihoin’s defense. “Urahara Kisuke is one of the laziest, most  _ aggravating  _ men that I have ever had the displeasure of coming into contact with!”

Soi Fon, who refused to drink herself silly while in the presence of Shihoin, found herself puzzled when Shuriken reacted the opposite way that Soi Fon had expected her to. Instead of jumping to Urahara’s defense, Shuriken began laughing so hard that she lost her balance and fell flat onto her back on the ground. At least they had been sitting on the floor of Shihoin’s office to begin with.

Shihoin, on the other hand, had turned her gaze to Soi Fon. The smaller female felt her own cheeks redden at the intense way Shihoin’s cat-like eyes seemed to stare right through her, cutting her down in size. It wasn’t exactly the most unpleasant experience Soi Fon had ever had, but  _ damn _ if it didn’t leave her flustered. 

“L-Lady Yoruichi…” Soi Fon muttered with a shyness quite foreign to herself as Shihoin began to lean in closer, their gazes never separating. It made Soi Fon squirm in her seat. What was she doing?

Right when Soi Fon felt as though she would faint from her sudden fever, Yoruichi spoke and cut Soi Fon’s heart in half.

“You know, I had  _ almost  _ forgotten just how in love with Kisuke you are, Soi Fon! I bet you’re  _ really _ pissed at Shuri for taking him away from you, huh?!”

Any feelings of infatuation for Shihoin that had previously overwhelmed Soi Fon vanished the moment that the taller female began speaking. Her shyness was automatically replaced with a flustered embarrassment that could only be described as comical. Shuriken, from her position on the floor, snorted in ungodly amusement.

“L-Lady Yoruichi! I can’t believe you’d even  _ suggest  _ such a thing!”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? Right before he got promoted, you and Kisuke seemed like you were about to hit it off!” How could Shihoin joke about such things? Rather, Soi Fon hoped that Shihoin was merely pulling her leg. “Maybe it’s my fault for recommending him for the captain’s seat in the first place.”

While Soi Fon struggled to come up with a proper response, Shuriken pushed herself back into a seated position. Throughout the day that they had known one another, Soi Fon had never seen such blatant amusement on Shuriken’s face. Hell, she wasn’t sure that she’d seen that much general emotion from Shuriken.

“I always knew he was a bit of a ladies man, but to be able to win you over seems like a tough feat to accomplish!” Shuriken chimed in on the teasing. “I’ll be sure to let him know just how heartbroken you are about it, Soi Fon.”

“If you say even a  _ word _ to him about any of this, Natazaki, I swear I’ll--”

“Soi Fon, you can’t just kill everyone who comes in the way of you and your love interest!” Shihoin had barely finished talking when she once more was overwhelmed with laughter. When Shuriken began laughing as well, Shihoin wrapped an arm around Shuriken’s shoulders and pulled her in for a half-hearted side hug.

It pained Soi Fon to see Shihoin acting so friendly and casually with Shuriken; Soi Fon’s insecurities told her that Shihoin would consider replacing Soi Fon with Shuriken, if the opportunity arose. That at the end of the day, Shuriken was a far better fit for Shihoin than Soi Fon herself was.

Regardless of the anxiety that plagued Soi Fon, there wouldn’t ever be anyone who could take her place as Shihoin’s closest confidant. Though they had their differences, the two were destined to be connected.

-

Many laughs (and drinks) later, Soi Fon watched as Shuriken heaved herself into a seated position, resting her back against the wall on Shihoin’s office. The Second captain currently sat beside Soi Fon, all but using the smaller female to keep from tumbling over. Shihoin always became far more physically affectionate when intoxicated, Soi Fon had learned that years ago, but it never failed to bring a light blush to Soi Fon’s cheeks.

There wasn’t anyone else that Soi Fon would rather dedicate her existence to; no, Shihoin Yoruichi was the  _ pinnacle  _ of perfection.

“Ladies,” Shuriken’s slurred (yet oddly solemn) voice demanded both Soi Fon and Shihoin’s attention. Soi Fon inwardly cursed Shuriken for causing Shihoin to raise up, removing her head from atop Soi Fon’s. “We’ve got to do this again sometime,” She continued, albeit slowly. “Really, it’s been a hell of a… of a time.”

“Yeah, if you can call babysitting the Captain-Commander’s drunken daughter all night a ‘hell of a time,’ sure,” Soi Fon scoffed in response. Although she maintained her usual, cold demeanor, Soi Fon’s voice lacked most of the usual venom that it held towards those such as Urahara, ones that she deemed inappropriate for Shihoin’s friendship. 

Shuriken had yet to truly earn Soi Fon’s seal of approval, but for now, Soi Fon didn’t have any real issues with her. That is, aside from her own misplaced jealousy.

“Shit. I’m not drunk, what do you mean?” Shuriken rebutted before sighing in annoyance. “It’s nice to make some new friends, even if one of them is kind of a bitch.”

“I’m not--!”

“I think it’s just a shame that it’s taken us this long to get together!” Shihoin interrupted Soi Fon with a hearty laugh. “What was Kisuke thinking, taking this long to properly introduce us?”

“He probably  _ wasn’t _ thinking, knowing that idiot,” Soi Fon muttered under her breath. If Shihoin or Shuriken heard her, neither one acknowledged the comment.

“It’s just because men are dumb, simple as that,” Shuriken echoed a similar statement, though louder. “Kisuke’s dumb, Taro’s dumb, Chojiro’s  _ dumb _ …” She momentarily trailed off, seemingly running through all of the important males in her life. “Can’t say dad is dumb or he’ll kill me, Jushiro’s too sweet…” Cue a heavy sigh and scoff. “And  _ that  _ motherfucker is the dumbest of all!”

Soi Fon snickered at the dramatic way Shuriken slammed her head back against the wall behind her. Shihoin, on the other hand, seemed to grow a bit more serious, even in her drunken state. One of the last things Soi Fon had expected was to feel Shihoin tense up beside her.

“Things are still rough between you two, huh?” Shihoin asked, her tone more somber. “It’s not my place to ask, but if ass needs to be kicked, I don’t mind lending you a hand.”

A soft chuckle came from Shuriken’s chest as she momentarily closed her eyes. The tension between two of Gotei 13’s oldest, closest friends had become common knowledge; however, those that weren’t particularly close to either Shuriken or Shunsui had been left in the dark. Soi Fon wasn’t one for petty drama, especially when she wasn’t directly involved, but she found it hard to believe that they were  _ still  _ at odds with each other.

Even as Shuriken and Shihoin continued to speak, Soi Fon ran through a list of possible men that they could be speaking of. They, quite obviously, were discussing Shunsui.

“There’s no need to bother yourself. If I’m not worth the effort for him, why should I give a damn?” Shuriken said as she opened her eyes once more. Soi Fon couldn’t decipher what laid behind her glossy gaze.

“Fair point. But if you ever need me, I’m just one division away.”

“Same goes for you, captain.”

“Hey! What did I say about that, Shuri?”

“About what?”

“Don’t act all innocent!”

“Captain Shihoin, are you insinuating that I’m purposefully trying to rile you up?”

“I don’t know, Third Seat Natazaki,  _ are  _ you?”

The atmosphere of the room had lightened considerably and Soi Fon was grateful for that. As Shihoin and Shuriken continued to playfully bicker, Soi Fon couldn’t tear her gaze away from her captain.

Shihoin seemed to be having such a good time, and if nothing else, Soi Fon would silently thank Shuriken for that. Though Soi Fon hated to admit it, Shihoin hadn’t seemed so full of life since Urahara had left the Second Division.

Some things, Soi Fon supposed, she would never be able to provide to Shihoin. People like Shuriken (and even that lazy, obnoxious bastard Urahara) could bring out a side of Shihoin that Soi Fon herself was incapable of freeing. Regardless of the jealous fire in her gut, Soi Fon was grateful that Shihoin had them in her life. 

However, as their ladies night began to draw to a close, Soi Fon made a promise to herself.

If Shuriken or Urahara either one  _ ever  _ hurt Shihoin, they’d never be able to make that mistake again.


End file.
